Mahabharata 7.21.44 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 44
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
क्रूरां शरीरसंघट्टां सादिनक्रां दुरत्ययाम् । द्रोण: प्रावर्तयत् तत्र नदीमन्तकगामिनीम्
sañjaya uvāca |
krūrāṃ śarīrasaṃghaṭṭāṃ sādinakrāṃ duratyayām |
droṇaḥ prāvartayat tatra nadīm antakagāminīm ||
संजय म्हणाला—तेथे द्रोणाचार्यांनी रणभूमीवर रक्ताची एक क्रूर नदी प्रवाहित केली—चिरडलेल्या देहांनी गच्च, मगरी व अन्य हिंस्र जनावरांनी भरलेली, आणि पार करणे अत्यंत कठीण; ती नदी जणू मनुष्यांना थेट अंतक (मृत्यू)कडे वाहून नेत होती।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark metaphor—war as a death-bound river—to underline the ethical gravity of violence: once battle intensifies, it becomes an impersonal force that sweeps away lives on all sides, challenging any easy glorification of warfare.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s onslaught in the Droṇa Parva: Droṇa’s tactics and ferocity make the battlefield resemble a terrifying river filled with bodies and predators, nearly impossible for warriors to ‘cross’—i.e., to survive or overcome.
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