Shloka 48
ते तु नामाड़किता बाणा द्रोणेनास्ता: शिलाशिता: । नरान् नागान् हयांश्वैव निजघ्नु: शतशो मृधे,द्रोणाचार्यके चलाये हुए वे बाण सानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किये गये थे। उनपर आचार्यके नाम खुदे हुए थे। उन्होंने समरभूमिमें सैकड़ों मनुष्यों, हाथियों और घोड़ोंका संहार कर डाला
te tu nāmāṅkitā bāṇā droṇenāstāḥ śilāśitāḥ | narān nāgān hayāṁś caiva nijaghnūḥ śataśo mṛdhe ||
Sañjaya said: Those arrows, launched by Droṇa—sharpened and honed upon the whetstone and bearing his very name engraved upon them—cut down in the press of battle hundreds of men, elephants, and horses. The verse underscores the terrifying efficiency of martial skill: a teacher’s perfected weaponry becomes an impersonal force that devastates all ranks of life on the field, raising the ethical tension between prowess and the human cost of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how perfected skill and reputation (arrows engraved with Droṇa’s name) can magnify the consequences of action: excellence in warfare brings decisive results, yet it also intensifies the moral weight of destruction, reminding the listener of the human and animal cost embedded in kṣatriya conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa releases expertly honed arrows marked with his name, and these missiles slaughter hundreds of combatants—men, elephants, and horses—showing Droṇa’s overwhelming battlefield power during the Drona Parva fighting.