द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय ११२) — कर्णभीमयोर्युद्धम्, दुर्योधनस्य रक्षणादेशः
Droṇa-parva 112: Karṇa–Bhīma Engagement and Duryodhana’s Protective Order
केकयानां शतं हत्वा विद्राव्य च समन्ततः । द्रोणस्तस्थौ महाराज व्यादितास्य इवान्तक:,तेषां समभवच्छब्दो विद्धानां द्रोणसायकै: । वनौकसामिवारण्ये व्याप्तानां धूम्रकेतुना जैसे घोर जंगलमें दावानलसे व्याप्त हुए वनवासी जन्तुओंकी क्रन्दनध्वनि सुनायी पड़ती है, उसी प्रकार द्रोणाचार्यके बाणोंसे घायल हुए उन विपक्षी योद्धाओंका आर्तनाद वहाँ श्रवणगोचर होता था
kekayānāṁ śataṁ hatvā vidrāvya ca samantataḥ | droṇas tasthau mahārāja vyāditāsya ivāntakaḥ || teṣāṁ samabhavac chabdo viddhānāṁ droṇasāyakaiḥ | vanaukāsām ivāraṇye vyāptānāṁ dhūmraketunā ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja! Setelah membunuh seratus orang Kekaya dan mencerai-beraikan yang selebihnya ke segala arah, Droṇa berdiri teguh—mulut ternganga—seperti Maut sendiri. Daripada para pahlawan yang ditembusi anak panah Droṇa bangkit hiruk-pikuk jeritan—laksana ratapan makhluk rimba di belantara ngeri apabila kebakaran hutan yang berasap merebak ke seluruhnya.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the ethical weight of war: heroic skill can resemble Death itself, and the true measure of conflict is heard in the suffering it produces. It invites reflection on dharma in battle—duty performed amid inevitable human cost.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa kills a hundred Kekaya warriors and routs the rest. Droṇa stands unmoved like Death, while the battlefield fills with the cries of those wounded by his arrows, compared to animals wailing as a wildfire spreads through a forest.