Shloka 24
द्रोणे हते कौरवार्थ व्यक्तमभ्येति वासव: । मैं समझता हूँ, यह भयंकर शब्द वज्रधारी इन्द्रकी गर्जना है। द्रोणाचार्यके मारे जानेपर कौरवोंकी सहायताके लिये साक्षात् इन्द्र आ रहे हैं, यह स्पष्ट जान पड़ता है ।। प्रहष्टरोमकूपा श्व संविग्ना रथपुड़वा:
droṇe hate kauravārthaṁ vyaktam abhyeti vāsavaḥ | manye, bhayaṅkaraḥ śabdo vajradhārīndragarjanaḥ | droṇācārye mārite kauravāṇāṁ sahāyatārthaṁ sākṣād indra āgacchati—iti spaṣṭaṁ pratibhāti || prahṛṣṭaromakūpāś ca śvāḥ saṁvignā rathapuṅgavāḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Now that Droṇa has been slain, it is evident that Vāsava (Indra) is approaching for the sake of the Kauravas. I take this dreadful sound to be the thunderous roar of Indra, the wielder of the vajra. It clearly seems that, with Droṇācārya killed, Indra himself is coming to aid the Kaurava side.” Even the dogs’ hair stood on end, and the foremost horses of the chariots grew agitated.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, the fall of a great teacher like Droṇa is felt as a cosmic turning point: fear, interpretation of omens, and the expectation of divine involvement arise. Ethically, it underscores the heavy moral weight of killing revered elders and how such acts shake the psychological and spiritual order of the battlefield.
After Droṇa’s death, Yudhiṣṭhira hears a terrifying sound and interprets it as Indra’s thunder-like roar, concluding that Indra is coming to support the Kauravas. The atmosphere becomes ominous: animals react with alarm—dogs bristle and the best chariot-horses grow restless.