Shloka 26

Devanagari script

ततो द्रोणाय निहतं भीष्ममाचष्ट कौरव: । द्रोणस्तत्राप्रियं श्रुत्वा मुमोह भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ! दुःशासनने द्रोणाचार्यसे भीष्मके मारे जानेका समाचार बताया। वह अप्रिय बात सुनते ही द्रोणाचार्य मूर्च्छित हो गये

Transliteration

tato droṇāya nihataṃ bhīṣmam ācāṣṭa kauravaḥ | droṇas tatrāpriyaṃ śrutvā mumoha bharatarṣabha ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian seorang Kaurava melaporkan kepada Droṇa bahawa Bhīṣma telah terbunuh. Mendengar khabar yang tidak menyenangkan itu di medan perang, Droṇa dilanda dukacita lalu pengsan—begitu beratnya kejatuhan sang datuk, tiang dharma dan tertib kepahlawanan, meskipun perang ini digerakkan oleh adharma.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

द्रोणायto Drona

निहतम्slain

भीष्मम्Bhishma

आचष्टtold, reported

कौरवःthe Kaurava (Duhshasana)

द्रोणःDrona

तत्रthere, then (in that situation)

अप्रियम्unpleasant (news)

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

मुमोहbecame deluded / fainted

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Drona (Dronacharya)

Bhishma

Kaurava (unnamed messenger)

Dhritarashtra (implied by address Bharatarshabha)

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?

Even in a righteous framework like kṣatriya warfare, attachment to revered elders and the collapse of moral anchors can overwhelm the mind; the verse highlights how the fall of a dharma-embodying figure (Bhīṣma) shakes the very stability of those who fight, revealing the human cost of adharma-driven conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Kaurava informs Droṇa that Bhīṣma has been killed; Droṇa, struck by the shock of this unwelcome news, loses composure and faints, while Sañjaya narrates this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.