Mahabharata (Gita Press) 7.21.52 - Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 52
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
ततो द्रोण: सत्यसंध: प्रभिन्न इव कुझ्जर: । अभ्यतीत्य रथानीकं दृढसेनमपातयत्,तदनन्तर सत्यप्रतिज्ञ द्रोणने मदकी धारा बहानेवाले गजराजकी भाँति रथ-सेनाको लाँघकर दृढसेनको मार गिराया
tato droṇaḥ satyasaṃdhaḥ prabhinna iva kuñjaraḥ | abhyatītya rathānīkaṃ dṛḍhasenam apātayat ||
ਸੰਜਯ ਬੋਲਿਆ—ਫਿਰ ਸਤ੍ਯਸੰਧ ਦ੍ਰੋਣ, ਜਿਵੇਂ ਬੰਧਨ ਤੋੜ ਕੇ ਛੁੱਟਿਆ ਮੱਤਾ ਹਾਥੀ, ਰਥਾਂ ਦੀ ਫੌਜ ਨੂੰ ਲੰਘ ਕੇ ਅੱਗੇ ਵਧਿਆ ਅਤੇ ਦ੍ਰਿੜ੍ਹਸੇਨ ਨੂੰ ਡਾਹ ਦਿੱਤਾ।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights satyasaṃdhi—steadfastness to one’s pledged word—as a powerful moral force. In the Mahābhārata’s war context, it also exposes the ethical strain: virtues like fidelity and resolve, when harnessed to warfare, can intensify destruction, prompting reflection on how dharma operates amid conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, compared to a charging elephant, breaks into the enemy chariot-formation (rathānīka) and causes the warrior Dṛḍhasena to fall—i.e., he defeats and strikes him down in battle.
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