Mahabharata (Gita Press) 7.21.40 - Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 40
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
वीरास्थिशर्करां रौद्रां भेरीमुरजकच्छपाम् । चर्मवर्मप्लवां घोरां केशशैवलशाद्धलाम्
vīrāsthiśarkarāṁ raudrāṁ bherīmurajakacchapām | carmavarmaplavāṁ ghorāṁ keśaśaivalśādvalām ||
त्या घोर प्रवाहात वीरांची हाडे वाळू-कंकरांसारखी दिसत होती; भेरी व मुरज ढोल कासवांसारखे भासत होते; ढाली व कवच होड्यांसारखे तरंगत होते. केसच तिथे शेवाळ व गवत झाले होते. हे चित्र विजयाचे नाही, तर युद्धाच्या नैतिक भीषणतेचे—कौशल्य जेव्हा हिंसेत मोकळे होते, तेव्हा रणाची धारा धैर्यवान व भयभीत, दोघांनाही सारखेच वाहून नेते.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: even when fought under kṣatriya duty, battle produces a dehumanizing devastation. The poetic ‘river’ imagery functions as moral commentary—martial prowess can become a force that sweeps away life indiscriminately, warning the listener not to romanticize violence.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s onslaught in the Kurukṣetra war through an extended metaphor: the battlefield becomes a terrifying river where bones are gravel, drums are tortoises, and shields/armor are boats, conveying the scale and dreadfulness of the slaughter.
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