Mahabharata 11.23.28 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 23, Shloka 28
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
यस्य प्रसादाद् वीभत्सु: पाण्डव: कर्म दुष्करम् | चकार स हत:ः शेते नैनमस्त्राण्यपालयन्
yasya prasādād vībhatsuḥ pāṇḍavaḥ karma duṣkaram | cakāra sa hataḥ śete nainam astrāṇy apālayan ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「その恩寵によってヴィーバトゥス（パーンドゥの子アルジュナ）がほとんど不可能な業を成し遂げた、その師こそが、いまここに討たれて横たわっている。彼の武器でさえ、彼を守れなかった。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest mastery—teacherly authority, martial skill, and possession of powerful weapons—cannot ultimately shield a person from the consequences of time, destiny, and the moral complexity of war. The verse underscores impermanence and the limits of external power.
In the aftermath of the great battle, the narrator points to the fallen ācārya (Droṇa), recalling that Arjuna achieved extraordinary feats through his instruction and favor. Yet now that very teacher lies dead, and his famed weapons did not save him.
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