Shloka 7
अध्याय ९९ — युयुधान-दुःशासन-युद्धम्
Chapter 99: Sātyaki and Duḥśāsana’s engagement
पुण्डरीकवनानीव विध्वस्तानि समन्ततः । चक्राते द्रोणपाञ्चाल्यौ नृणां शीर्षाण्यनेकश:,द्रोणाचार्य और धृष्टद्युम्नने मनुष्योंके बहुत-से मस्तक काट गिराये, जो चारों ओर नष्ट होकर पड़े हुए कमलवनोंके समान जान पड़ते थे
puṇḍarīkavanānīva vidhvastāni samantataḥ | cakrāte droṇapāñcālyau nṛṇāṃ śīrṣāṇy anekaśaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: On every side, many human heads lay shattered and strewn about, resembling lotus-groves ruined all around. Thus did Droṇa and the Pāñcāla prince (Dhṛṣṭadyumna) wreak their slaughter in the press of battle—an image that underscores how war, even when fought under vows and duty, turns living beings into anonymous ruin.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral cost of war: even when warriors act under perceived duty, the outcome is widespread, dehumanizing destruction. The lotus-grove simile intensifies the sense of beauty turned into ruin, prompting reflection on how dharma in warfare is shadowed by suffering.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield where Droṇa and Dhṛṣṭadyumna are cutting down many fighters; severed heads lie scattered everywhere, compared to lotus-groves devastated on all sides.