Shloka 24
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
पलालधूमसंकाशा: सैन्धवा: शीघ्रमावहन् । केकयदेशके सुकुमार राजकुमार बृहत्क्षत्रकों पुआलके धूएँके समान उज्ज्वल-नील वर्णवाले सिन्धुदेशीय* अच्छी जातिके घोड़ोंने शीघ्रतापूर्वक रणभूमिमें पहुँचाया ।। मल्लिकाक्षा: पद्मवर्णा बाह्लिजाता: स्वलंकृता:
palāladhūma-saṅkāśāḥ saindhavāḥ śīghram āvahan | mallikākṣāḥ padma-varṇā bāhlijātaḥ svalāṅkṛtāḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kuda-kuda dari Sindhu-deśa, berkilau kebiruan laksana asap jerami yang terbakar, dengan pantas membawa (penunggang/kereta) ke medan laga. Warnanya bak teratai, bermata terang, daripada baka Bāhlika, serta dihias mewah—tanda-tanda kebesaran diraja yang dicampakkan ke dalam kegentingan perang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how royal splendour and worldly resources—fine, adorned war-horses from famed regions—are mobilized in war; it implicitly contrasts external magnificence with the grim ethical reality of battle, where such power serves destruction rather than dharmic peace.
Sañjaya describes swift horses from Sindhu-deśa, with a smoky bluish sheen and lotus-like colouring, of Bāhlika breed and richly adorned, rapidly carrying their charge onto the battlefield, emphasizing speed, prestige, and the momentum of the ongoing combat.