Shloka 31
Droṇa’s Rebuke to Duryodhana after Jayadratha’s Fall (द्रोणेन दुर्योधनं प्रति प्रत्युक्तिः)
नलिनी द्विरदेनेव समन्तात् प्रतिलोडिता । दुर्योधनने समरांगणमें पाण्डव-सेनाको सब ओरसे उसी प्रकार मथ डाला, जैसे हाथी कमलोंसे भरे हुए किसी पोखरेको || ३० ई ।। ततस्तां प्रहितां सेनां दृष्टवा पुत्रेण ते नृप
nalinī dviradeneva samantāt pratiloditā | duryodhanena samarāṅgaṇe pāṇḍava-senāṃ sabhāraḥ sarvataḥ tathā mathitā yathā hastī kamalaiḥ pūrṇaṃ kaṃcit saraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: On the battlefield, Duryodhana churned and scattered the Pāṇḍava army on every side, just as an elephant, entering a lotus-filled pond, stirs it up from all directions. The image underscores the brutal momentum of war: disciplined ranks are reduced to turmoil when driven by pride and the hunger for victory rather than restraint and dharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked force and ambition in war turn ordered communities into turmoil; it implicitly contrasts mere martial power with the restraint and responsibility demanded by dharma.
Sañjaya describes Duryodhana’s assault: he drives into the Pāṇḍava ranks and throws them into confusion on all sides, compared to an elephant roiling a lotus-pond.