Shloka 56
यतमानांस्तु तान् वीरान् भारद्वाज: शिलीमुखै: । यमाय प्रेषयामास चेदिमुख्यान् विशेषत:,इस प्रकार प्रयत्नमें लगे हुए उन वीरोंको विशेषतः चेदि देशके प्रमुख योद्धाओंको ट्रोणाचार्यने अपने बाणोंद्वारा यमलोक भेज दिया
yatamānāṁs tu tān vīrān bhāradvājaḥ śilīmukhaiḥ | yamāya preṣayāmāsa cedimukhyān viśeṣataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: As those heroes strove on in battle, Bhāradvāja (Droṇācārya) with his sharp arrows dispatched them to Yama’s realm—most especially the foremost warriors of the Cedi country. The verse underscores the grim moral atmosphere of war: even valor and effort, when met by superior martial skill, culminate in death, and the battlefield becomes a place where human striving is measured against fate and the inexorable law of mortality.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical reality of war: personal effort and bravery do not guarantee survival. In the battlefield context of kṣatriya-dharma, death is portrayed as being 'sent to Yama,' emphasizing mortality’s inevitability and the tragic cost of martial duty.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇācārya, called Bhāradvāja, strikes down warriors who are actively striving in combat—particularly the leading fighters from the Cedi side—killing them with volleys of sharp arrows.