Shloka 37

Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्‌ महाग्निप्रतिमो महात्मा संतापयन्‌ पाण्डवान्‌ विप्रमुख्य:

Transliteration

tasmin mahāgnipratimo mahātmā santāpayān pāṇḍavān vipramukhyaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Dalam pertemuan itu, sang pahlawan berjiwa agung—laksana api besar yang menyala—membakar hebat pihak Pāṇḍava, memaksa mereka berpaling dan berundur dalam kekacauan.

Word by Word

तस्मिन्in that (situation/place/time)

महाग्नि-प्रतिमःlike a great fire

महात्माthe great-souled one

संतापयन्tormenting / scorching

पाण्डवान्the Pandavas

विप्रमुख्यःforemost among the vipras (brahmins)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāṇḍavas

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 the ethical gravity of war: extraordinary prowess can overwhelm and cause intense suffering, reminding the listener that victory often comes through fear and pain rather than moral clarity, even within the framework of kṣatriya-duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle where a formidable, ‘fire-like’ great warrior presses the Pāṇḍavas so hard that they are afflicted and driven to turn away from the front, indicating a temporary setback or forced withdrawal.