Shloka 17
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa
दृढा: संग्राममध्येषु कच्चिदासन्नविह्नला: । करिणां बूंहतां युद्धे शड्खदुन्दुभिनि:स्वनै:
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | dṛḍhāḥ saṅgrāmamadhyeṣu kaccid āsann avihvalāḥ | kariṇāṁ bṛṁhatāṁ yuddhe śaṅkhadundubhinisvanaiḥ ||
ドリタラーシュトラは言った。「激戦のただ中で、彼らは堅固にして動揺しなかったか。大象が咆哮し、法螺貝と太鼓の響きが轟く戦の喧噪の中でも、なお怯まずにいたのか。」
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical-psychological dimension of warfare: true steadiness is not merely physical strength but the capacity to remain unconfused and resolute amid fear-inducing chaos—noise, massed elephants, and the sensory overwhelm of battle.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, unable to see the battlefield, anxiously questions the reporter (Sañjaya in context) about whether the warriors remained firm and unshaken when the battle’s terrifying sounds—elephants’ trumpeting and the blare of conches and drums—rose around them.