Shloka 98
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
शुश्रुवुर्नामगोत्राणि वीराणां संयुगे तदा । द्रोणमाद्रवतां राजन् स्वयंवर इवाहवे,राजन! उस समय युद्धस्थलमें ट्रोणाचार्यपर आक्रमण करनेवाले वीरोंके नाम और गोत्र उसी प्रकार सुनायी पड़ते थे, जैसे स्वयंवरमें सुने जाते हैं
śuśruvur nāmagotrāṇi vīrāṇāṃ saṃyuge tadā | droṇam ādravatāṃ rājan svayaṃvara ivāhave ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, at that time on the battlefield, the names and lineages of the heroes rushing upon Droṇa were heard being proclaimed—much as they are announced at a svayaṃvara. In the midst of war’s violence, the scene took on the strange formality of a public contest, where identity and honor are called out even as lives are staked.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the chaos of war, the Mahābhārata highlights the Kṣatriya world’s fixation on identity, lineage, and honor: names and gotras are proclaimed as in a formal contest, suggesting that reputation and public recognition accompany (and sometimes drive) violent action.
Sañjaya describes a moment when many warriors charge toward Droṇa on the battlefield. Their names and clan lineages are audibly announced or become widely known, and the scene is likened to a svayaṃvara where contestants are publicly introduced.