Shloka 42
Droṇavadha-saṃniveśaḥ — The Convergence Toward Droṇa’s Fall
Book 7, Chapter 164
ततो मुहूर्त व्यथितः शरपातप्रपीडित: । निषसाद रथोपस्थे द्रोणो भरतसत्तम,भरतश्रेष्ठ! उन बाणोंके आघातसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित एवं व्यथित होकर द्रोणाचार्य दो घड़ीतक रथके पिछले भागमें बैठे रहे
tato muhūrta-vyathitaḥ śarapāta-prapīḍitaḥ | niṣasāda rathopasthe droṇo bharatasattama ||
Sañjaya said: Then Droṇa, shaken for a while and grievously oppressed by the shower of arrows, sat down upon the rear part of his chariot—O best of the Bharatas. The scene underscores how even the mightiest warrior-teacher is subject to bodily suffering in war, and how the battlefield reduces greatness to endurance amid pain.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the vulnerability of even the greatest figures in the chaos of war: prowess and status do not exempt one from pain. Ethically, it points to the harsh cost of kṣatriya warfare and the bodily consequences that accompany choices made in the pursuit of victory.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, struck and overwhelmed by a dense shower of arrows, becomes distressed and sits down on the rear/seat area of his chariot for a time, indicating a momentary collapse or pause due to severe injury and fatigue.