Shloka 14
सौमदत्तेरवधाद् द्रोणमायान्तं सैन्धवस्य च । अमर्षाज्जीवितं त्यक्त्वा गाहमानं वरूथिनीम्,भूरिश्रवा तथा जयद्रथके वधसे कुपित हो जब द्रोणाचार्य आये और जीवनका मोह छोड़कर पाण्डव-सेनामें उसका मन््थन करते हुए प्रवेश करने लगे, उस समय जँभाई लेते हुए व्याप्र तथा मुँह बाये हुए यमराजके समान बाण-वर्षा करते हुए द्रोणाचार्यके सम्मुख पाण्डव और सृंजय योद्धा कैसे आ सके?
saumadatter avadhād droṇam āyāntaṃ saindhavasya ca | amarṣāj jīvitaṃ tyaktvā gāhamānaṃ varūthinīm | bhūriśravā tathā jayadrathake vadhase kupitaḥ …
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “After the slaying of Saumadatta (Bhūriśravas) and of the Sindhu prince (Jayadratha), Droṇa came forward in wrath. Casting aside all regard for his own life, he plunged into the battle-array, churning the opposing host with his assault. How, then, were the Pāṇḍava and Sṛñjaya warriors able to stand before Droṇa—who, like Death itself with gaping jaws, poured down a storm of arrows?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked amarṣa (resentful rage) can drive even a great teacher-warrior to abandon self-preservation and become death-like in battle. It frames a moral tension central to the epic: kṣatriya valor and duty can be fulfilled with terrifying effectiveness, yet the inner motive—vengeance and fury—can eclipse restraint and compassion, raising questions about righteous conduct amid war.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya how the Pāṇḍava and Sṛñjaya fighters could confront Droṇa after the deaths of Bhūriśravas and Jayadratha. Droṇa, enraged by these events, advances into the opposing army and unleashes a devastating barrage of arrows, likened to Yama (Death). The question underscores Droṇa’s overwhelming martial power and the peril faced by the Pāṇḍava side.