Mahabharata 7.21.8 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 8
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
मण्डलं तु समावृत्य विचरन् पृतनामुखे । ध्वजं चिच्छेद च क्रुद्धो द्रोणस्यामित्रकर्षण:
maṇḍalaṃ tu samāvṛtya vicaran pṛtanāmukhe | dhvajaṃ ciccheda ca kruddho droṇasyāmitrakarṣaṇaḥ ||
తదనంతరం శత్రుదమనుడు సత్యజిత్ అత్యంత క్రోధంతో సేనాగ్రములో మండలాకారంగా సంచరించుచు తన బాణాలతో ద్రోణాచార్యుని ధ్వజాన్ని కూడా కోసివేసెను.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare involves not only physical combat but also symbolic targets—like a commander’s banner—that affect morale and command. It implicitly cautions that anger (krodha) can drive decisive action, yet such acts carry ethical weight within kṣatriya-dharma because they escalate hostility and strike at honor-symbols.
Sañjaya describes a warrior maneuvering in a circular pattern at the army’s front and, in anger, cutting down Droṇa’s banner. The act signals an aggressive challenge to Droṇa’s leadership and attempts to weaken the opposing side’s confidence.
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