Shloka 21
द्रोणास्त्रमभिहत्यैष विमर्दे मधुसूदन । महेष्वासो हतः शेते नद्या हत इव द्रुम:,मधुसूदन! यह महाधनुर्धर वीर संग्राममें द्रोणाचार्यके अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका नाश करके नदीके वेगसे कटे हुए वृक्षेके समान मरकर धराशायी हो गया
droṇāstram abhihatya eṣa vimarde madhusūdana | maheṣvāso hataḥ śete nadyā hata iva drumaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Madhusūdana, in the press of battle this great archer, having struck down the weapon of Droṇa, now lies slain—like a tree felled by the force of a river’s current.” The verse underscores the tragic irony of war: even the most capable warriors, after moments of prowess, are reduced to lifeless bodies, and victory offers little moral consolation amid widespread ruin.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impermanence of martial glory and the ethical bleakness of war: even after a feat such as neutralizing a famed weapon, the warrior’s end is sudden and final, likened to a tree swept down by a river—powerful, yet ultimately helpless before larger forces.
Vaiśampāyana describes to the listener (addressing Kṛṣṇa as Madhusūdana) that a renowned archer, after countering Droṇa’s weapon in the thick of battle, has been killed and now lies fallen, compared to a tree cut down by a river’s current.