Shloka 30
दुर्योधन-कर्ण-संवादः
Duryodhana–Karna Dialogue on Vyūha-bheda and Daiva
तस्य द्रोणो हयान् हत्वा चतुर्भिश्चतुर: शरै: । सारथेश्ष॒ शिर: कायाच्चकर्त प्रहसन्निव,द्रोणाचार्यने चार बाणोंसे धृष्टकेतुके चारों घोड़ोंको मारकर उनके सारथिके भी मस्तकको हँसते हुए-से काटकर धड़से अलग कर दिया
tasya droṇo hayān hatvā caturbhiś caturaḥ śaraiḥ | sārathes śiraḥ kāyāc cakarta prahasann iva ||
Sañjaya said: Drona, having slain his four horses with four arrows, then severed the charioteer’s head from his body—as though with a grim, derisive smile. The scene underscores the ruthless efficiency of battlefield skill, where mastery of arms is deployed without hesitation, and the moral weight of war is felt in the swift destruction of both combatant resources and the human agent who guides them.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical atmosphere of war: extraordinary martial competence can be exercised with chilling detachment. It invites reflection on kṣatriya-duty in battle versus the human cost—how skill and victory often arrive through swift, uncompassionate acts.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa shoots four arrows to kill the four horses of an opponent’s chariot, disabling mobility, and then beheads the charioteer, decisively neutralizing the chariot’s operation.