Shloka 45
द्रोणस्य कर्म तद् दृष्टवा कोपदुःखसमन्वित: । शशाप रथिनां मध्ये धृष्टदुम्नो महामना:,विराट, द्रुपद, केकय, चेदि, मत्स्य और पांचाल योद्धाओं तथा राजा द्रुपदके तीनों वीर पौत्रोंके मारे जानेपर द्रोणाचार्यका वह कर्म देखकर क्रोध और दुःखसे भरे हुए महामनस्वी धष्टद्युम्नने रथियोंके बीचमें इस प्रकार शपथ खायी
sañjaya uvāca | droṇasya karma tad dṛṣṭvā kopaduḥkhasamanvitaḥ | śaśāpa rathināṃ madhye dhṛṣṭadyumno mahāmanāḥ |
Sañjaya said: Seeing that deed of Droṇa, the high-souled Dhṛṣṭadyumna—overwhelmed by anger and grief—uttered a solemn vow (a curse-like oath) in the midst of the chariot-warriors. The moment frames how battlefield conduct, when perceived as excessive or devastating, provokes retaliatory resolve and escalates the moral tension of the war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how witnessing a devastating act in war can ignite anger and grief, leading to a binding vow of retaliation. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: even within kṣatriya-dharma, perceived excess or cruelty can trigger cycles of vengeance that deepen collective suffering.
Sañjaya reports that Dhṛṣṭadyumna, after seeing Droṇa’s battlefield deed, becomes consumed by wrath and sorrow and then publicly declares a severe oath/curse among the assembled chariot-warriors—signaling an imminent retaliatory action and a turning point in the conflict’s intensity.