Shloka 54
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
रासभारुणवर्णाभा: पृष्ठतो मूषिकप्रभा: । वल्गन्त इव संयत्ता व्याप्रदत्तमुदावहन्,गदहेके समान मलिन एवं अरुणवर्णवाले, पृष्ठभागमें चूहेके समान श्याम- मलिन कान्ति धारण करनेवाले तथा विनीत घोड़े व्याप्रदत्तको युद्धमें उछलते- कूदते हुए-से ले गये
sañjaya uvāca |
rāsabhāruṇavarṇābhāḥ pṛṣṭhato mūṣikaprabhāḥ |
valganta iva saṃyattā vyāpradattam udāvahan ||
Sañjaya said: The well-trained horses—dusky-red in hue like asses, yet with a mouse-like dark sheen along their backs—seemed to leap and bound as they carried Vyāpradatta away amid the press of battle. The description underscores the harsh, dust-darkened reality of war, where even noble steeds are marked by grime and strain while fulfilling their duty in the conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the reality of dharma-in-war as lived experience: disciplined beings (the trained horses) perform their assigned role amid dust, strain, and danger. It suggests that duty in conflict is carried out through control and steadiness even when circumstances are grim.
Sañjaya describes the appearance and movement of the horses and says they carried Vyāpradatta away, seemingly bounding as they moved through the battlefield.