Shloka 12
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
इन्द्रध्वजाविवोत्सृष्टी रणमध्ये परंतपौ । शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले वे दोनों वीर रणक्षेत्रमें गदाके अग्रभागसे एक-दूसरेको चोट पहुँचाकर नीचे गिराये हुए दो इन्द्र-ध्वजोंके समान पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े ।। दौ:शासनिरथोत्थाय कुरूणां कीर्तिवर्धन:
sañjaya uvāca |
indradhvajāv ivotsṛṣṭī raṇamadhye parantapau |
śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-denau te dvau vīrau raṇakṣetre |
gadāgreṇa parasparaṃ prahṛtya nipātitau |
dvāv indra-dhvajāv iva pṛthivyāṃ nipetuḥ ||
dauḥśāsanir athotthāya kurūṇāṃ kīrtivardhanaḥ ||
サञ्जयは言った。戦場のただ中で、敵を苦しめる二人の勇士――仇に灼けつく痛苦を与える英雄たちは、棍棒（ガダー）の頭で互いに打ち合い、投げ倒された二本のインドラ旗のように大地へと倒れ伏した。ついでドゥフシャーサニは再び起ち上がり、クル族の名声を高めようとした。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya glory and the grim cost of violence: even the mightiest, likened to towering Indra-banners, can be brought down in an instant. Reputation (kīrti) motivates action, yet the imagery underscores impermanence and the ethical weight of war.
Sañjaya describes a mace-duel in which two powerful warriors strike each other with the mace-head and collapse to the ground like toppled Indra-standards. Immediately after, Dauḥśāsani (Duḥśāsana’s son) rises again, intent on advancing the Kurus’ renown.