Shloka 17
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
द्रोणेन द्रुपदं संख्ये पश्य माधव पातितम् | महाद्विपमिवारण्ये सिंहेन महता हतम्
droṇena drupadaṃ saṅkhye paśya mādhava pātitam | mahādvipam ivāraṇye siṃhena mahatā hatam
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ഹേ മാധവാ, നോക്കുക! യുദ്ധത്തിൽ ദ്രോണൻ വീഴ്ത്തിയ ദ്രുപദൻ—അരണ്യത്തിൽ മഹാബലനായ സിംഹം ഒരു മഹാഗജത്തെ കൊന്നതുപോലെ.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly stature in war: even a powerful king can be suddenly brought down. Through the lion–elephant simile, it highlights how conflict reduces human relationships and status to raw force and irreversible loss, inviting reflection on the ethical cost of vengeance and battle.
Vaiśampāyana points out to Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) that Drupada has been felled in combat by Droṇa. The event is presented with a vivid comparison: Drupada lies like a great elephant killed by a mighty lion in the forest.