Mahabharata 7.21.38 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 38
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
स शूर: सत्यवाक् प्राज्ञो बलवान् सत्यविक्रम: । महानुभाव: कल्पान्ते रौद्रां भीरुविभीषणाम्
sa śūraḥ satyavāk prājño balavān satyavikramaḥ | mahānubhāvaḥ kalpānte raudrāṃ bhīruvibhīṣaṇām ||
وہ بہادر—سچ بولنے والا، دانا، طاقتور اور ثابت قدم شجاعت والا، عظیم الشان درون—میدانِ جنگ میں قیامت کے سیلاب کی مانند ایک قہرآلود، بزدلوں کو لرزا دینے والا ہولناک طوفانی ریلا لے آیا۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses end-of-the-world imagery to underline the ethical gravity of war: even when fought under the banner of kṣatriya duty, violence can become a consuming force that terrifies the weak and overwhelms ordinary moral sensibilities. It cautions the listener to see war’s true cost, not only its strategic outcomes.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describing a leading warrior’s fearsome impact on the battlefield. The hero is praised for truthfulness, wisdom, strength, and valor, and his actions are portrayed as unleashing a dreadful, kalpānta-like devastation that frightens the faint-hearted.
Ask anything about this verse
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.