Shloka 21
Droṇa-pātana-paripṛcchā (Inquiry into the Fall of Droṇa) | द्रोणपातनपरिपृच्छा
तान् सकुण्जरप्त्त्यश्वान् प्राहिणोद् यमसादनम् । चक्रेडचिरेण च द्रोणो महीं शोणितकर्दमाम्,द्रोणाचार्यने हाथी, घोड़े और पैदलोंसहित उन समस्त योद्धाओंको यमलोक पहुँचा दिया और थोड़ी ही देरमें भूतलपर रक्तकी कीच मचा दी
tān sa-kuñjara-praty-aśvān prāhiṇod yamasādanam | cakreḍ acireṇa ca droṇo mahīṃ śoṇita-kardamām ||
Sañjaya said: Drona swiftly dispatched those warriors—together with their elephants and horses—to the abode of Yama. In no great time he turned the earth into a mire of blood, underscoring the grim moral cost of battle even when fought under the banner of duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark ethical tension of dharma in war: even a duty-bound, skilled commander like Droṇa produces immense destruction. It invites reflection on the human cost of righteous claims in conflict and the inevitability of death (Yama) on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa, fighting effectively, quickly kills many warriors along with their mounted forces (elephants and horses), sending them to Yama’s realm, and the battlefield becomes churned into blood-soaked mud.