Shloka 346
मत्स्यांश्नेवाजयत् कृत्स्नान् भारद्वाजो महारथान् | तत्पश्चात् भरद्वाजनन्दन द्रोणाचार्यने युद्धमें चेदि, केकय, सूृंजय तथा मत्स्य देशके सम्पूर्ण महारथियोंको परास्त कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca |
matsyān śnenevājayat kṛtsnān bhāradvājo mahārathān |
tataḥ paścāt bharadvājanandano droṇācāryaḥ yuddhe cedi-kekaya-sṛñjaya-tathā-matsya-deśasya sampūrṇān mahārathīn parājayām āsa ||
Sanjaya said: Like a hawk striking down fish, the son of Bharadvāja (Droṇa) overcame all those great chariot-warriors. Thereafter, in the battle, Droṇācārya—Bharadvāja’s illustrious son—routed the entire body of the foremost fighters belonging to the Cedi, Kekaya, Sṛñjaya, and Matsya realms. The verse underscores the grim momentum of war: prowess and strategy can swiftly overturn armies, yet such victory also intensifies the moral weight of violence and the suffering borne by kingdoms and clans.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how swiftly martial skill can dominate the battlefield, while implicitly reminding the listener that such triumphs in war carry grave ethical consequences—victory is not merely glory but also the expansion of suffering and responsibility.
Sanjaya reports that Droṇa, compared to a hawk seizing fish, decisively defeats and routs the leading chariot-warriors of the Cedi, Kekaya, Sṛñjaya, and Matsya forces during the fighting in Droṇa Parva.