Shloka 15

Devanagari script

स तथा तेष्वनीकेषु पाण्डुपुत्रस्य मारिष | कालवदू व्यचरद्‌ द्रोणो युवेव स्थविरो बली,आर्य! बलवान द्रोणाचार्य वृद्ध होकर भी तरुणके समान फुर्ती दिखाते हुए पाण्बुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरकी सेनाओंमें कालके समान विचरने लगे

Transliteration

sa tathā teṣv anīkeṣu pāṇḍuputrasya māriṣa | kālavad vyacarad droṇo yuveva sthaviro balī ||

Translation

మారిషా! పాండుపుత్ర యుధిష్ఠిరుని సేనావ్యూహాలలో వృద్ధుడైనప్పటికీ యువకునివలె వేగవంతుడై, బలవంతుడైన ద్రోణాచార్యుడు కాలునివలె సంచరించసాగెను.

Word by Word

सःhe (Drona)

तथाthus, in that manner

तेषुamong/in those

अनीकेषुin the army-divisions, in the battle-formations

पाण्डु-पुत्रस्यof the son of Pandu (Yudhiṣṭhira)

मारिषO venerable one / O sir

कालवत्like Time/Death

व्यचरद्moved about, ranged

द्रोणःDrona

युवाa young man

इवas if, like

स्थविरःold, aged

बलीstrong, mighty

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa (Droṇācārya)

Pāṇḍuputra (Yudhiṣṭhira implied)

Kāla (Time/Death as a personified force)

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 frames battlefield power as ‘kāla’—an impersonal inevitability. It cautions that in war, actions rapidly mature into unavoidable consequences, and even revered figures (a teacher like Droṇa) can become instruments of relentless destruction, raising ethical tension between duty, loyalty, and compassion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa, though elderly, is moving swiftly through the Pāṇḍavas’ battle-formations (under the Pāṇḍuputra leader), striking with overwhelming force, compared to Time/Death roaming the field.