Shloka 14
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
रथाग्न्यगारं चापार्चि:शरशक्तिगदेन्धनम् | द्रोणमासाद्य निर्दग्धा: शलभा इव पावकम्
rathāgnyagāraṃ cāpārciḥśaraśaktigadendhanam | droṇam āsādya nirdagdhāḥ śalabhā iva pāvakam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Reaching Droṇa—who was like a blazing fire-chamber of chariots, whose flames were arrows, spears, and maces as fuel—they were burned up, like moths rushing into a fire. The verse underscores the moral tragedy of war: valor and zeal, when driven into a superior destructive force, become self-consuming, and lives are squandered in the blaze of violence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns of the self-destructive pull of violent conflict: when warriors rush into overwhelming destructive power, courage without discernment leads to ruin, highlighting the ethical cost and futility embedded in war’s blaze.
Vaiśampāyana describes combatants who, upon attacking Droṇa, are annihilated. Droṇa is portrayed as a raging fire fed by weapons, and the attackers as moths consumed when they fly into flame.