Mahabharata 7.21.24 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 24
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
ततो युधिष्टिरं प्रेप्सुराचार्य: शत्रुपूगहा । व्यधमत् तान्यनीकानि तूलराशिमिवानल:
tato yudhiṣṭhiraṃ prepsur ācāryaḥ śatrupūgahā | vyadhamat tāny anīkāni tūlarāśim ivānalaḥ ||
அப்போது பகைவர் கூட்டங்களை அழிப்பவனான ஆசாரியர் துரோணர், யுதிஷ்டிரனைப் பிடிக்க விரும்பி, அந்தப் படைவியூகங்களை அனைத்தையும் தீ பருத்திக் குவியலை எரித்தழிப்பதுபோல் சிதைத்து அழித்தார்।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral strain of warfare: when a commander fixates on a strategic goal (capturing Yudhiṣṭhira), the means can become massively destructive. The cotton-and-fire simile emphasizes how quickly and indiscriminately violence can spread once unleashed, prompting reflection on proportionality and responsibility even amid duty-bound combat.
Droṇa advances with the intent to seize Yudhiṣṭhira. To reach him, he breaks through and annihilates the intervening troop-formations, overwhelming them with the speed and totality likened to fire burning a pile of cotton.
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