Shloka 24
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa
दिव्यमस्त्रं विकुर्वाणं रणे तस्मिन् महाबलम् | उस समरांगणमें दिव्य अस्त्रोंका प्रयोग करनेवाले तथा सुवर्णमय रथपर आरूढ़ हुए महाबली द्रोणाचार्यको देखकर तो समस्त पाण्डव-योद्धा भाग खड़े होते थे ।। उताहो सर्वसैन्येन धर्मराज: सहानुज:
divyam astraṁ vikurvāṇaṁ raṇe tasmin mahābalam | utāho sarvasainyena dharmarājaḥ sahānujaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “In that battle, when the mighty one was unleashing celestial weapons, even Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira), together with his younger brothers and supported by the entire army, (was compelled to respond/was shaken)…” The line underscores how Droṇa’s divine weaponry and battlefield prowess could overwhelm even the most dharma-guided leadership, testing courage, resolve, and the moral endurance of the Pāṇḍava side amid the pressures of war.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even righteous leadership (Dharmarāja) can be severely tested in war: dharma does not remove danger, but demands steadiness, responsibility toward one’s forces, and ethical endurance when confronted by overwhelming power.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes the battlefield moment when Droṇa, deploying celestial weapons, appears so formidable that even Yudhiṣṭhira with his brothers and the full Pāṇḍava host must rally and respond under intense pressure.