Mahabharata 7.21.44 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 44
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
क्रूरां शरीरसंघट्टां सादिनक्रां दुरत्ययाम् । द्रोण: प्रावर्तयत् तत्र नदीमन्तकगामिनीम्
sañjaya uvāca |
krūrāṃ śarīrasaṃghaṭṭāṃ sādinakrāṃ duratyayām |
droṇaḥ prāvartayat tatra nadīm antakagāminīm ||
سنجے نے کہا—وہاں درون نے میدانِ جنگ میں خون کی ایک سفّاک ندی بہا دی—کچلے ہوئے جسموں سے اٹی ہوئی، مگرمچھوں اور دوسرے درندہ صفت جانوروں سے بھری، اور پار کرنا نہایت دشوار؛ وہ ندی گویا آدمیوں کو سیدھا انتک (موت) کی طرف بہا لے جاتی تھی۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark metaphor—war as a death-bound river—to underline the ethical gravity of violence: once battle intensifies, it becomes an impersonal force that sweeps away lives on all sides, challenging any easy glorification of warfare.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s onslaught in the Droṇa Parva: Droṇa’s tactics and ferocity make the battlefield resemble a terrifying river filled with bodies and predators, nearly impossible for warriors to ‘cross’—i.e., to survive or overcome.
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