Shloka 15
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
द्रोणाचार्य प्रचलित अग्निके समान थे, उनका रथ ही अग्निशाला था, धनुष ही उस अग्निकी लपट था, बाण, शक्ति और गदाएँ समिधाका काम दे रही थीं, धृष्टद्युम्नके पुत्र पतंगोंके समान उस द्रोणरूपी अग्निमें चलकर भस्म हो गये ।। तथैव निहता: शूरा: शेरते रुचिराड़दा: । द्रोणेनाभिमुखा: सर्वे भ्रातर: पजच केकया:,इसी प्रकार सुन्दर अंगदोंसे विभूषित पाँचों शूरवीर भाई केकय राजकुमार समरांगणमें सम्मुख होकर जूझ रहे थे। वे सब-के-सब आचार्य द्रोणके हाथसे मारे जाकर सो रहे हैं
tathaiva nihatāḥ śūrāḥ śerate rucirāṅgadāḥ | droṇenābhimukhāḥ sarve bhrātaraḥ pañca kekayāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “So too those heroes, adorned with splendid armlets, now lie fallen. All five brothers—the Kekaya princes—had faced Droṇa directly on the battlefield; slain by the preceptor’s hand, they now lie motionless.” The verse underscores the grim impartiality of war: valor and noble ornaments do not shield one from death when the tide of adharma-driven slaughter has been unleashed.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark truth of the battlefield: even brave, well-adorned warriors fall when they confront overwhelming martial power. It evokes the ethical weight of war—valor is real, yet it cannot prevent the suffering and finality that follow mass violence.
Vaiśampāyana reports that five Kekaya brothers fought facing Droṇa in the battle and were killed by him. Their bodies now lie on the field, a detail that contributes to the Stree Parva’s broader atmosphere of grief and reckoning after the carnage.