Mahabharata 7.21.40 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 40
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
वीरास्थिशर्करां रौद्रां भेरीमुरजकच्छपाम् । चर्मवर्मप्लवां घोरां केशशैवलशाद्धलाम्
vīrāsthiśarkarāṁ raudrāṁ bherīmurajakacchapām | carmavarmaplavāṁ ghorāṁ keśaśaivalśādvalām ||
サञ्जयは語った。――ドローナは戦場を、劫末の滅びの水のごとき、恐るべき血の河として流れさせた。その凄絶な流れの中で、勇士の骨は砂や小石のように見え、太鼓や大鼓は亀のように見えた。盾と鎧は舟のように漂い、髪は水草や草となって流れにまとわりついた。この比喩が告げるのは勝利の賛歌ではない。戦の道徳的恐怖と、逃れ得ぬ代償である――武の技が解き放たれるとき、戦場は勇者も臆者も等しく呑み込む奔流となるのだ。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: even when fought under kṣatriya duty, battle produces a dehumanizing devastation. The poetic ‘river’ imagery functions as moral commentary—martial prowess can become a force that sweeps away life indiscriminately, warning the listener not to romanticize violence.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s onslaught in the Kurukṣetra war through an extended metaphor: the battlefield becomes a terrifying river where bones are gravel, drums are tortoises, and shields/armor are boats, conveying the scale and dreadfulness of the slaughter.
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