Shloka 526
दिवमाक्रामदाचार्य: साक्षात् सद्धिर्दुराक्रमाम् । उन्होंने मुँहको कुछ ऊपर उठाकर छातीको आगेकी ओर स्थिर किया। फिर विशुद्ध सत्त्वमें स्थित हो नेत्र बंद करके हृदयमें धारणाको दृढ़तापूर्वक धारण किया। साथ ही “ओम” इस एकाक्षर ब्रह्मका जप करते हुए वे महातपस्वी आचार्य द्रोण प्रणवके अर्थभूत देवदेवेश्वर अविनाशी परम प्रभु परमात्माका चिन्तन करते-करते ज्योतिःस्वरूप हो साक्षात् उस ब्रह्मलोकको चले गये, जहाँ पहुँचना बड़े-बड़े संतोंके लिये भी दुर्लभ है
sañjaya uvāca | divam ākrāmad ācāryaḥ sākṣāt sadhir durākramām | mukhaṃ kiñcid ūrdhvaṃ kṛtvā vakṣaḥ pūrvaṃ sthirīkṛtya ca | viśuddha-sattve sthito netre nimīlya hṛdaye dhāraṇāṃ dṛḍhataraṃ cakāra | ekākṣaraṃ brahma praṇavam “oṃ” iti japaṃ kurvan devadeveśvaraṃ avināśinaṃ paramaṃ prabhuṃ paramātmānaṃ praṇavārtha-bhūtaṃ cintayan jyotiḥ-svarūpo bhūtvā sākṣād brahmalokaṃ jagāma, yatra gantum mahadbhir api sādhu-bhiḥ durāpam |
Sanjaya said: The preceptor Drona ascended to the hard-to-reach heavenly realm, attainable only by the truly virtuous. Lifting his face slightly and steadying his chest, he entered a state of pure clarity; closing his eyes, he fixed firm concentration in his heart. Repeating the single-syllabled Brahman—‘Om’—the great ascetic contemplated the imperishable Supreme Lord, the God of gods, the Paramatman who is the very meaning of the Pranava. Thus becoming a form of light, he went directly to Brahmaloka, a destination difficult even for great saints to attain.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the violence of war, the text highlights an ideal of inner discipline: steady posture, purified mind (viśuddha-sattva), focused concentration (dhāraṇā), and remembrance of the Supreme through the Pranava ‘Om’. The ethical emphasis is that spiritual attainment is linked to purity, steadfastness, and God-centered contemplation.
Sanjaya describes Droṇācārya’s final yogic departure: he composes his body, closes his eyes, fixes concentration in the heart, repeats ‘Om’, meditates on the imperishable Supreme, becomes luminous, and proceeds to Brahmaloka—portrayed as a rare destination even for great saints.