Shloka 27
Droṇa-pātana-paripṛcchā (Inquiry into the Fall of Droṇa) | द्रोणपातनपरिपृच्छा
सा योधसंघैश्न रथैश्न भूमि: शरैविभिन्नैर्गजवाजिभिश्ष । प्रच्छाद्यमाना पतितैर्बभूव समावृता द्यौरिव कालमेघै:,जैसे वर्षाकालके मेघोंकी घटासे आकाश आच्छादित हो जाता है, उसी प्रकार वहाँ बाणोंसे विदीर्ण होकर गिरे हुए योद्धाओंके समूहों, रथों, हाथियों और घोड़ोंसे सारी रणभूमि पट गयी थी
sā yodhasaṅghaiś ca rathaiś ca bhūmiḥ śarair vibhinnair gajavājibhiś ca | pracchādyamānā patitair babhūva samāvṛtā dyaur iva kālameghaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The battlefield became covered over—strewn with fallen masses of warriors, chariots, elephants, and horses, all pierced and shattered by arrows—so that the earth was veiled like the sky when it is overcast with dark monsoon clouds. The image underscores how war, when unrestrained, turns living strength into a suffocating shroud, obscuring clarity and compassion alike.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Through a stark simile—earth covered like a sky overcast with dark clouds—the verse highlights the moral and human cost of war: violence does not merely defeat opponents; it blankets the world in suffering and obscures discernment (viveka), pressing the listener to reflect on restraint and dharma amid conflict.
Sañjaya describes the immediate दृश्य of the battle: the ground is strewn and hidden under fallen warriors, chariots, elephants, and horses, all pierced by arrows, making the battlefield appear fully covered, like the sky during the monsoon when dark clouds spread everywhere.