Mahabharata 7.21.38 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 38
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
स शूर: सत्यवाक् प्राज्ञो बलवान् सत्यविक्रम: । महानुभाव: कल्पान्ते रौद्रां भीरुविभीषणाम्
sa śūraḥ satyavāk prājño balavān satyavikramaḥ | mahānubhāvaḥ kalpānte raudrāṃ bhīruvibhīṣaṇām ||
ಆ ಶೂರನು—ಸತ್ಯವಾಕ್ಯನೂ ಪ್ರಾಜ್ಞನೂ ಬಲವಂತನೂ ಸತ್ಯವಿಕ್ರಮಿಯೂ ಮಹಾನುಭಾವನೂ ಆದ ದ್ರೋಣನು—ರಣಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಲ್ಪಾಂತದ ಪ್ರವಾಹದಂತೆ ರೌದ್ರವೂ ಭೀರುಗಳನ್ನು ನಡುಗಿಸುವುದೂ ಆದ ಭಯಂಕರ ಮಹಾಪ್ರವಾಹವನ್ನು ಎಬ್ಬಿಸಿದನು।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses end-of-the-world imagery to underline the ethical gravity of war: even when fought under the banner of kṣatriya duty, violence can become a consuming force that terrifies the weak and overwhelms ordinary moral sensibilities. It cautions the listener to see war’s true cost, not only its strategic outcomes.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describing a leading warrior’s fearsome impact on the battlefield. The hero is praised for truthfulness, wisdom, strength, and valor, and his actions are portrayed as unleashing a dreadful, kalpānta-like devastation that frightens the faint-hearted.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.