Shloka 72

Devanagari script

द्रोणस्तु दिवमास्थाय नक्षत्रपथमाविशत्‌ | अहमेव तठदाद्वाक्ष॑ द्रोणस्प निधनं नृप

Transliteration

droṇas tu divam āsthāya nakṣatrapatham āviśat | aham eva tathā dadau vācaṃ droṇasya nidhanaṃ nṛpa ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ດໂຣນະ ໄດ້ຈາກໂລກນີ້ໄປ ເຖິງສະຫວັນ ແລະເຂົ້າສູ່ເສັ້ນທາງແຫ່ງດາວ. ແລະຂ້ອຍເອງໃນເວລານັ້ນ ກໍໄດ້ກ່າວຖ້ອຍຄຳນັ້ນແກ່ພຣະອົງ ໂອ ພຣະມະຫາກະສັດ ເພື່ອແຈ້ງການລົ້ມລົງຂອງດໂຣນະ.»

Word by Word

द्रोणःDrona

तुbut/indeed

दिवम्to heaven

आस्थायhaving ascended

नक्षत्रपथम्the path of the stars (sky)

आविशत्entered

अहम्I

एवindeed/only

तत्that (fact)

ददौgave/uttered (as a statement)

अवाक्speech/word (as an indeclinable usage: 'a word')

द्रोणस्यof Drona

निधनम्death

नृपO king

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Droṇa

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by nṛpa)

Heaven (diva)

Nakṣatrapatha (path of the stars)

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 frames death in battle not merely as an end but as a transition, presenting Drona’s departure as ascent to a celestial state; it also highlights the ethical weight of truthful witnessing—Sanjaya’s duty is to report events to the king without concealment.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Drona’s fall, Sanjaya tells Dhritarashtra that Drona has departed to heaven and entered the celestial ‘path of the stars,’ and that Sanjaya himself conveyed this news to the king.