Shloka 61
दुर्योधन-कर्ण-संवादः
Duryodhana–Karna Dialogue on Vyūha-bheda and Daiva
द्रोणाग्निमस्त्रसंस्पर्श प्रविष्टा: क्षत्रियर्षभा: । बहवो दुस्तरं घोरं यत्रादहुन्त भारत,भारत! उस युद्धमें बहुत-से क्षत्रियशिरोमणि वीर अस्त्ररूपी दाहक स्पर्शवाले द्रोणाचार्यरूपी भयंकर एवं दुस्तर अग्निमें प्रविष्ट होकर भस्म हो गये
sañjaya uvāca |
droṇāgnim astrasaṁsparśa-praviṣṭāḥ kṣatriyarṣabhāḥ |
bahavo dustaraṁ ghoraṁ yatrādahun bhārata ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Bhārata, ramai pahlawan kṣatriya yang gagah bagaikan lembu jantan, memasuki api Droṇa yang menggerunkan dan sukar ditempuh—yang sentuhan membakarnya ialah senjata-senjatanya—lalu hangus terbakar di situ.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the devastating, consuming nature of warfare: even the greatest kṣatriya heroes can be annihilated when confronted by superior force. By likening Droṇa to an inescapable fire, it also suggests the ethical gravity of battle—power and skill, when unleashed, can reduce human excellence to ashes, reminding the listener of impermanence and the fearful cost of kṣatriya-dharma in war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that many leading warriors entered the ‘fire’ of Droṇa—i.e., faced Droṇa’s weaponry—and were burned up (killed/consumed) in that dreadful, difficult-to-overcome onslaught.