Mahabharata 11.23.32 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 23, Shloka 32
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
वेदा यस्माच्च चत्वार: सर्वाण्यस्त्राणि केशव । अनपेतानि वै शूराद् यथैवादौ प्रजापते:
vedā yasmāc ca catvāraḥ sarvāṇy astrāṇi keśava | anapetāni vai śūrād yathaivādau prajāpateḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Keśava, sebagaimana pada permulaan dahulu Veda tidak pernah terpisah daripada Prajāpati (Brahmā), demikian juga daripada wira Droṇa, keempat-empat Veda dan segala ilmu senjata tidak pernah berpisah. Namun kaki itu—indah bagaikan teratai, layak disembah, dipuji para penggubah dan dipuja ratusan murid—kini diseret oleh serigala hutan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts Droṇa’s lifelong union with sacred knowledge (the Vedas) and martial mastery with the shocking indignity of his corpse being dragged by jackals, underscoring the moral horror of war: even the most revered teacher can be reduced to helplessness, and disrespect toward the dead signals a collapse of dharma.
In the aftermath of the great battle, the narrator describes the pitiable state of Droṇa’s body. Though he was celebrated by bards and honored by many disciples, his remains are now left exposed and dragged by scavengers, intensifying the lamentation and condemnation of the war’s aftermath.
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