Shloka 4
वरान् वरान् हि योधानां विचिन्वन्निव भारत । आक्रीडत रणे राजन् भारद्वाज: प्रतापवान्,भरतवंशी नरेश! प्रतापी द्रोणाचार्य मानो उस युद्धस्थलमें प्रधान-प्रधान योद्धाओंको चुन रहे हों, इस प्रकार उनके साथ खेल-सा कर रहे थे
varān varān hi yodhānāṁ vicinvann iva bhārata | ākrīḍata raṇe rājan bhāradvājaḥ pratāpavān ||
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, in that battle the mighty Bhāradvāja (Droṇa) seemed to be selecting, one after another, the foremost warriors; and, O King, he fought as though the field of war were a mere sport-ground—displaying power that treated deadly combat like play, and thereby intensifying the moral weight of the slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary martial power can make war appear like a game to the powerful, yet that very ease intensifies the ethical gravity of killing; it invites reflection on responsibility (dharma) when strength turns lethal action into ‘play’.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa on the battlefield: he appears to single out the foremost opposing warriors one by one and engage them effortlessly, as if sportingly, emphasizing his dominance during this phase of the war.