Shloka 41
पदातिहयसंघानां प्रयुतान्यर्बुदानि च | द्रोणेनैकेन नाराचैर्निर्भिन्नानि निशामुखे,उस प्रदोषकालमें अकेले द्रोणाचार्यने अपने नाराचोंद्वारा एक हजार हाथी, दस हजार रथ तथा लाखों-करोड़ों पैदल एवं घुड़सवार नष्ट कर दिये
padātihayasaṅghānāṁ prayutāny arbudāni ca | droṇenaikena nārācair nirbhinnāni niśāmukhe ||
Sañjaya said: At the coming on of night, Droṇa alone, with his nārāca arrows, shattered vast masses of infantry and cavalry—tens of thousands and even crores—and struck down a thousand elephants and ten thousand chariots. The verse underscores the terrifying asymmetry of power on the battlefield and the moral weight of martial prowess when it becomes sheer slaughter rather than measured, dharma-guided combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary martial power can overwhelm the norms of balanced combat; it invites reflection on dharma in war—prowess is admirable, yet mass destruction at dusk evokes the ethical burden and the tragic momentum of Kurukṣetra.
Sañjaya reports that at dusk Droṇa, fighting alone with nārāca arrows, devastates large formations of infantry and cavalry and destroys huge numbers of elephants and chariots, emphasizing the scale of carnage and Droṇa’s battlefield dominance.