Shloka 28
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
सुतसोम॑ तु यः सौम्यं पार्थ: पुत्रमजीजनत् । माषपुष्पसवर्णास्तमवहन् वाजिनो रणे
sutasomaṁ tu yaḥ saumyaṁ pārthaḥ putram ajījanat | māṣapuṣpasavarṇās tam avahan vājino raṇe ||
サञ्जयは語った。やさしき者よ、パールタ（アルジュナ）がもうけた子—名をスータソーマ—は、マーシャの花の色をした馬により戦の中を運ばれた。この偈は、戦の暴力のただ中にあっても、血筋と名、そして戦車の馬隊に現れる目印が、義務と識別の標として戦場に残ることを示している。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the midst of war, a warrior’s identity and duty are affirmed through lineage and the visible emblems of battle (such as the chariot’s horses). It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern with recognizing persons and responsibilities even amid chaos.
Sañjaya identifies Sutasoma, the son fathered by Arjuna, and notes that in the battle he is borne along by horses of a distinctive dark hue likened to māṣa-flowers—an observational detail typical of battlefield narration.