Mahabharata 7.21.26 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 26
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
सूर्यरश्मिप्रतीकाशै: कर्मारपरिमार्जिति: । षड्भि: ससूतं सहयं द्रोणं विद्ध्वानदद् भूशम्
sūryaraśmipratīkāśaiḥ karmāraparimārjitaiḥ | ṣaḍbhiḥ sasūtaṃ sahayaṃ droṇaṃ viddhvā nanāda bhūśam ||
कर्माराने घासून उजळ केलेल्या, सूर्यकिरणांसारख्या तेजस्वी सहा बाणांनी त्याने सारथी व घोड्यांसह द्रोणाचार्यांना भेदले आणि मग महान वृषभासारखा मोठ्याने गर्जला।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how war magnifies skill and aggression while compressing moral space: even a revered teacher like Droṇa becomes a target when combat duty dominates. It invites reflection on how dharma can be pressured by circumstance, and how prowess without restraint intensifies suffering.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior (contextually, an opposing fighter to Droṇa) shoots six brilliantly polished arrows, wounding Droṇa along with his charioteer and horses, and then lets out a thunderous roar, signaling dominance and escalating the battle’s intensity.
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