Shloka 243

Devanagari script

उपलभ्य रणे क्रीडेदू यथा शकुनिना शिशु: । 'ट्रोणाचार्य अभेद्य कवचसे सुरक्षित हैं। वे शीघ्रतापूर्वक हाथ चलानेके कारण रणक्षेत्रमें अपने विपक्षीको पाकर उसी प्रकार क्रीड़ा करते हैं, जैसे कोई बालक पक्षीके साथ खेल रहा हो

Transliteration

upālabhya raṇe krīḍed yathā śakunīnā śiśuḥ | droṇācāryo 'bhedya-kavacena surakṣitaḥ śīghratāpūrvakaṃ hastaṃ calayitvā raṇakṣetre svavipakṣaṃ prāpya tathā krīḍati yathā bālakaḥ pakṣiṇā saha krīḍati ||

Translation

సంజయుడు అన్నాడు—అభేద్య కవచంతో రక్షితుడై, వేగహస్తుడైన ద్రోణాచార్యుడు యుద్ధభూమిలో ప్రత్యర్థిని పొందగానే, పక్షితో ఆడుకునే చిన్నబాలుడిలా క్రీడిస్తాడు.

Word by Word

उपलभ्यhaving found/obtained

रणेin battle

क्रीडेत्would play/sport

यथाas/just as

शकुनिनाwith a bird

शिशुःa child

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇācārya (Droṇa)

kavaca (armour)

raṇa/raṇakṣetra (battle/battlefield)

śakuni/pakṣi (bird)

śiśu/bālaka (child)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how overwhelming protection and skill can turn lethal combat into ‘sport’ for the powerful, implicitly questioning the ethics of treating war lightly when it entails real suffering and death for others.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa, shielded by seemingly impenetrable armour and striking with great speed, engages enemies on the battlefield with effortless dominance—likened to a child playing with a bird.