Shloka 27
तैः शरैद्रोणपुत्रस्य वजवेगै: समाहता: । प्रदग्धा रिपव: पेतुरग्निदग्धा इव द्रुमा:,द्रोणपुत्रके चलाये हुए उन वज्रके समान वेगशाली बाणोंसे घायल हुए शत्रुसैनिक आगके जलाये हुए वृक्षोंके समान दग्ध होकर गिरने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | taiḥ śarair droṇaputrasya vajravegaiḥ samāhatāḥ | pradagdhā ripavaḥ petur agnidagdhā iva drumāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Struck by those arrows of Droṇa’s son—swift as a thunderbolt—the enemy warriors, as if scorched, began to fall, like trees burned down by fire. The passage underscores the terrifying momentum of battle, where martial prowess, once unleashed, reduces opponents to helpless collapse, raising the ethical weight of violence even amid a kṣatriya war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming, almost elemental force of warfare once set in motion: skill and wrath can fell living beings as easily as fire fells trees. Implicitly, it invites reflection on the ethical gravity of violence even when performed under the banner of kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāman shooting thunderbolt-swift arrows. The enemy troops, grievously wounded and ‘scorched’ by the assault, collapse in large numbers, compared to trees falling after being burned by fire.