Shloka 66
अमोघशक्तिव्यंसनप्रश्नः — Why Karṇa’s Śakti Was Not Used on Arjuna
शिशिरे कम्पमाना वै कृशा गाव इव प्रभो । रणभूमिमें शत्रुओंका संहार करते हुए कौन-कौन-से वीर आचार्यके आगे खड़े थे। प्रभो! मैं तो समझता हूँ, द्रोणाचार्यके बाणोंसे पीड़ित होकर समस्त पाण्डव शिशिर-ऋतुमें दुबली-पतली गायोंके समान थर-थर काँपने लगे होंगे
śiśire kampamānā vai kṛśā gāva iva prabho | raṇabhūmau śatrūṇāṃ saṃhāraṃ kurvataḥ ācāryasya agre ke ke vīrāḥ tiṣṭhanti | prabho manye droṇācāryasya bāṇaiḥ pīḍitāḥ sarve pāṇḍavāḥ śiśire kṛśā gāva iva tharatharāyante ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O lord, like emaciated cows shivering in the winter, who were the heroes that stood before the Teacher (Droṇa) as he wrought slaughter of the foes on the battlefield? My thought is that, tormented by Droṇācārya’s arrows, all the Pāṇḍavas must have trembled violently—like thin cattle in the cold season.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how perception and attachment shape moral judgment in war: Dhṛtarāṣṭra, anxious for his side’s success, imagines the Pāṇḍavas overwhelmed by Droṇa’s prowess. It underscores the ethical tension of celebrating destruction while remaining blind to the wider dharmic cost.
In the Drona Parva battle narration, Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about which warriors dared stand before Droṇa as he devastated opponents. He conjectures that Droṇa’s arrows made the Pāṇḍavas tremble like thin cows in winter, emphasizing Droṇa’s terrifying effectiveness.