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 ||
ആ ശൂരൻ—സത്യവാക്യൻ, പ്രാജ്ഞൻ, ബലവാൻ, സത്യവിക്രമൻ, മഹാനുഭാവൻ ആയ ദ്രോണൻ—രണഭൂമിയിൽ പ്രളയകാല പ്രവാഹംപോലെ രൗദ്രവും ഭീരുക്കളെ വിറപ്പിക്കുന്നതുമായ ഭയങ്കര മഹാപ്രവാഹം ഉയർത്തി।
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.
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