Shloka 40
उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations
तानि नागसहस्राणि रथानामयुतानि च,उस प्रदोषकालमें अकेले द्रोणाचार्यने अपने नाराचोंद्वारा एक हजार हाथी, दस हजार रथ तथा लाखों-करोड़ों पैदल एवं घुड़सवार नष्ट कर दिये
tāni nāgasahasrāṇi rathānām ayutāni ca | tasmin pradoṣakāle kevalena droṇācāryeṇa svanārācair ekaṃ sahasraṃ hastinaḥ daśa sahasrāṇi rathāḥ lakṣakoṭyaḥ padātayaś ca aśvārūḍhāś ca vināśitāḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。「その黄昏の刻、ドローナはただ一人、鋭き矢をもって千の象、万の戦車、そして数知れぬ歩兵と騎兵を滅ぼした。これは武芸の恐るべき効率と、復讐と競争によりダルマが覆い隠されたとき、戦がいかに甚大な人命の代価を要求するかを物語る。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the catastrophic scale of war: extraordinary personal prowess can magnify destruction, reminding the listener that when conflict is pursued beyond restraint, the ethical cost (loss of life and balance of dharma) becomes immeasurable.
Sañjaya reports that at dusk Drona, fighting single-handedly, uses his nārāca arrows to annihilate vast numbers of the opposing forces—elephants, chariots, infantry, and cavalry—emphasizing the intensity of the battle in the Droṇa Parva.