Shloka 3

Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

नरनागाश्चवमथनं परमं लोमहर्षणम्‌ । द्रोणकर्णकृपा वीरा भीमपार्षतसात्यका:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca

naranāgāś ca vamathanaṁ paramaṁ lomaharṣaṇam |

droṇakarṇakṛpā vīrā bhīmapārṣatasātyakāḥ ||

Translation

ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಮನುಷ್ಯರು ಮತ್ತು ಗಜಗಳ ಪರಮ ಲೋಮಹರ್ಷಕ ಮಥನದಂತೆ ಭೀಕರ ಗದ್ದಲ ಉಂಟಾಯಿತು. ಆ ಭಯಾನಕ ಸಂಘರ್ಷದ ಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ದ್ರೋಣ, ಕರ್ಣ, ಕೃಪ, ಭೀಮ, ಧೃಷ್ಟದ್ಯುಮ್ನ (ಪಾರ್ಷತ) ಮತ್ತು ಸಾತ್ಯಕಿ ಎಂಬ ವೀರರು ಇದ್ದರು.

Word by Word

नरनागाःmen and elephants

चand

वमथनम्churning; violent agitation (tumult)

परमम्supreme; exceedingly great

लोमहर्षणम्hair-raising; thrilling

द्रोणकर्णकृपाःDrona, Karna, and Kripa

वीराःheroes; warriors

भीमपार्षतसात्यकाःBhima, Parshata (Dhrishtadyumna), and Satyaki

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa

Karṇa

Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya)

Bhīma

Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata)

Sātyaki

men (warriors)

elephants

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the terrifying scale of war—where even great heroes become agents within a violent ‘churning’ that overwhelms men and beasts alike—inviting reflection on the ethical cost of conflict even when framed as kṣatriya-duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports an intense phase of fighting in which the battlefield is thrown into a dreadful upheaval involving warriors and elephants, with major champions—Droṇa, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Bhīma, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Sātyaki—prominently engaged.