Mahabharata 7.31.25 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 31, Shloka 25

अध्याय ३१ — द्रोणानीके तुमुलसंग्रामः

The Tumultuous Battle around Droṇa’s Formation

Devanagari script

तस्योन्नतांसं सुनसं शिर: कायात्‌ सकुण्डलम्‌ | भल्लेनापाहरद्‌ द्रौणि: स्मयमान इवानघ

Transliteration

tasyonnatāṃsaṃ sunasaṃ śiraḥ kāyāt sakuṇḍalam | bhallenāpāharad drauṇiḥ smayamāna ivānagha niṣpāpa nareśa ||

Translation

Sañjaya disse: Ó rei sem mácula, naquele momento o filho de Droṇa (Aśvatthāman), como se sorrisse, atingiu com uma flecha bhalla e separou do corpo a cabeça—ornada com brincos—daquele guerreiro de ombros elevados e belo nariz. A narração ressalta a eficiência sombria da perícia no campo de batalha: nem a beleza nem as insígnias reais protegem das consequências da guerra.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• उन्नत-अंसम्: having raised/high shoulders
• उन्नत-अंसम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उन्नत + अंस
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सु-नसम्: with a beautiful nose
• सु-नसम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + नास (नस/नास् as stem in comp.)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कायात्: from the body
• कायात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• स-कुण्डलम्: together with earrings
• स-कुण्डलम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुण्डल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भल्लेन: with a bhalla-arrow
• भल्लेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्ल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• अपाहरत्: cut off / carried away
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप-हृ (हृ)
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• द्रौणिः: Drauni (Ashvatthaman)
• द्रौणिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रौणि (अश्वत्थामन्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्मयमानः: smiling
• स्मयमानः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मयमान (√स्मि/स्मय्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, शानच् (present participle, atmanepada sense)

• इव: as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• अनघ: O sinless one
• अनघ: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun (vocative epithet)
• Root: अनघ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (addressed as nareśa/anagha/niṣpāpa)
• Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman)
• Bhalla (arrow)
• Kuṇḍala (earrings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh moral atmosphere of war: martial prowess operates with relentless finality, and outward marks of status or beauty do not avert death. It implicitly warns that when dharma collapses into total warfare, human dignity is easily reduced to trophies and severed limbs.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāman (Droṇa’s son) strikes with a bhalla-arrow and cuts off an opponent’s head, described with vivid physical details (broad shoulders, handsome nose, earrings), emphasizing the suddenness and brutality of the kill.