Shloka 49
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
ये तु पुष्करनालस्य समवर्णा हयोत्तमा: | जवे श्येनसमाश्रित्रा: सुदामानमुदावहन्,कमलके नालकी भाँति श्वेतवर्णवाले और श्येन पक्षीके समान वेगशाली उत्तम एवं विचित्र अश्व सुदामाको लेकर रणक्षेत्रमें उपस्थित हुए
ye tu puṣkaranālasya samavarṇā hayottamāḥ | jave śyenasaṃśritrāḥ sudāmānam udāvahan ||
Sañjaya said: Those excellent horses, white in hue like the stalk of a lotus and swift with the speed of a hawk, brought Sudāmā and arrived upon the battlefield—an image of martial readiness where power and speed are harnessed for the grim duties of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary capability—speed, strength, and disciplined control—becomes morally significant only through the purpose it serves. In the epic’s war setting, such prowess is directed toward battle, reminding readers that power is ethically charged by its use.
Sañjaya describes a contingent arriving: superb white horses, compared to lotus-stalks in color and to a hawk in speed, convey a person named Sudāmā to the battlefield, signaling swift mobilization and escalation of the conflict.