Shloka 17
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
द्रोणेन द्रुपदं संख्ये पश्य माधव पातितम् | महाद्विपमिवारण्ये सिंहेन महता हतम्
droṇena drupadaṃ saṅkhye paśya mādhava pātitam | mahādvipam ivāraṇye siṃhena mahatā hatam
Vaiśampāyana said: “Behold, O Mādhava, Drupada struck down in the thick of battle by Droṇa—like a great elephant felled in the forest by a mighty lion.” The verse frames the fall of a king as both a stark image of martial power and a moral reminder of war’s irreversible ruin, where even the eminent are reduced to prey before fate and prowess.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly stature in war: even a powerful king can be suddenly brought down. Through the lion–elephant simile, it highlights how conflict reduces human relationships and status to raw force and irreversible loss, inviting reflection on the ethical cost of vengeance and battle.
Vaiśampāyana points out to Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) that Drupada has been felled in combat by Droṇa. The event is presented with a vivid comparison: Drupada lies like a great elephant killed by a mighty lion in the forest.