Mahabharata 7.21.44 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 44
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
क्रूरां शरीरसंघट्टां सादिनक्रां दुरत्ययाम् । द्रोण: प्रावर्तयत् तत्र नदीमन्तकगामिनीम्
sañjaya uvāca |
krūrāṃ śarīrasaṃghaṭṭāṃ sādinakrāṃ duratyayām |
droṇaḥ prāvartayat tatra nadīm antakagāminīm ||
サञ्जयは語った。そこにおいてドローナは、戦の残酷な大河を奔らせた――砕け潰れた屍で塞がれ、鰐や諸々の獣が群れ、ほとんど渡ることもかなわぬ河――人々をそのままアンタカ（死）へと運び去る河である。この比喩は、戦場を英雄の遊戯としてではなく、道義の破局として描く。ひとたび戦が解き放たれれば、それは勇や意図の如何を問わず、両軍を滅びへ引きずる奔流となる。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark metaphor—war as a death-bound river—to underline the ethical gravity of violence: once battle intensifies, it becomes an impersonal force that sweeps away lives on all sides, challenging any easy glorification of warfare.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s onslaught in the Droṇa Parva: Droṇa’s tactics and ferocity make the battlefield resemble a terrifying river filled with bodies and predators, nearly impossible for warriors to ‘cross’—i.e., to survive or overcome.
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