Shloka 49

Devanagari script

ततः क्रुद्धो महाराज पार्षतः परवीरहा । द्रोणाय चिक्षेप गदां यमदण्डोपमां रणे,महाराज! तब शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले धृष्टद्युम्नने कुपित हो द्रोणाचार्यपर गदा चलायी, जो रणभूमिमें यमदण्डके समान भयंकर थी

Transliteration

tataḥ kruddho mahārāja pārṣataḥ paravīrahā | droṇāya cikṣepa gadāṃ yamadaṇḍopamāṃ raṇe ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian, wahai Raja, putera Pṛṣata—pembunuh wira musuh—dalam kemarahan di tengah pertempuran, melontar kepada Droṇa sebuah gada, menggerunkan seperti tongkat Yama. Adegan ini menegaskan bagaimana amarah di medan perang mendorong bahkan pahlawan termasyhur kepada tindakan yang menuntut pemusnahan muktamad, ketika kewajipan ksatria dan dendam peribadi bertemu dalam niat yang mematikan.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

क्रुद्धःangry

महाराजO great king

पार्षतःthe son of Pṛṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)

परवीरहाslayer of enemy-heroes

द्रोणायto/at Droṇa

चिक्षेपthrew, hurled

गदाम्a mace

यमदण्डोपमाम्like Yama's staff (death-rod)

रणेin battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata)

Droṇa (Dronācārya)

gadā (mace)

Yama

Yamadaṇḍa (Yama’s rod/staff)

raṇa (battlefield)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger (krodha) intensifies violence and narrows judgment in war: a warrior’s duty to fight can become entangled with personal rage, and the imagery of Yama’s rod stresses the ethical gravity of actions that aim at death.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛṣṭadyumna, furious in battle, throws a terrifying mace at Droṇācārya—an aggressive, potentially decisive strike against a foremost commander.