Mahabharata 7.21.38 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 38
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
स शूर: सत्यवाक् प्राज्ञो बलवान् सत्यविक्रम: । महानुभाव: कल्पान्ते रौद्रां भीरुविभीषणाम्
sa śūraḥ satyavāk prājño balavān satyavikramaḥ | mahānubhāvaḥ kalpānte raudrāṃ bhīruvibhīṣaṇām ||
Disse Sañjaya: Aquele herói —veraz no falar, sábio, forte e de bravura firme—, Droṇa de grande poder, fez surgir no campo de batalha uma torrente terrível, como as águas do fim dos tempos, que apavorava os de coração fraco. Ali a guerra não era mera busca de vitória, mas uma catástrofe que afogava o discernimento e arrastava vidas sem distinção, temível para quem não tivesse a dureza de encarar suas consequências.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses end-of-the-world imagery to underline the ethical gravity of war: even when fought under the banner of kṣatriya duty, violence can become a consuming force that terrifies the weak and overwhelms ordinary moral sensibilities. It cautions the listener to see war’s true cost, not only its strategic outcomes.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describing a leading warrior’s fearsome impact on the battlefield. The hero is praised for truthfulness, wisdom, strength, and valor, and his actions are portrayed as unleashing a dreadful, kalpānta-like devastation that frightens the faint-hearted.
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