Mahabharata 7.21.59 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 59
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
त॑ द्रोण: सथनुष्कं तु साश्वयन्तारमाक्षिणोत् | स हत: प्रापतद् भूमौ रथाज्ज्योतिरिवाम्बरात्
taṁ droṇaḥ sadhanuskaṁ tu sāśvayantāram ākṣiṇot | sa hataḥ prāpatad bhūmau rathāj jyotir ivāmbarāt |
Sinabi ni Sanjaya: Pinabagsak ni Drona ang prinsipe, kasama ang kanyang busog, mga kabayo, at ang tagapagmaneho ng karwahe, at winasak siya sa gitna ng labanan. Napatay ni Drona, nahulog siya mula sa karwahe patungo sa lupa na parang bulalakaw na bumabagsak mula sa langit—larawang nagpapakita ng bigla at di na maibabalik na pagbagsak ng dangal-mandirigma sa ilalim ng malupit na batas ng digmaan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: prowess and status can collapse in an instant. The meteor simile frames death as sudden and irreversible, reminding readers that martial glory is transient and that war’s ethics permit decisive, total destruction of an opponent’s fighting capacity (warrior, weapons, horses, and driver).
Sanjaya reports that Drona attacks a prince on a chariot and cuts him down along with his bow, horses, and charioteer. The slain warrior then falls from the chariot to the ground like a meteor falling from the sky.
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