Mahabharata 7.21.24 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 24

द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping

Devanagari script

ततो युधिष्टिरं प्रेप्सुराचार्य: शत्रुपूगहा । व्यधमत्‌ तान्यनीकानि तूलराशिमिवानल:

Transliteration

tato yudhiṣṭhiraṃ prepsur ācāryaḥ śatrupūgahā | vyadhamat tāny anīkāni tūlarāśim ivānalaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Bấy giờ Droṇa, bậc thầy—kẻ diệt trừ từng đoàn quân thù—vì muốn bắt lấy Yudhiṣṭhira, đã đánh tan những đội hình ấy, như lửa nuốt trọn một đống bông gòn.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• युधिष्ठिरम्: Yudhiṣṭhira (as object)
• युधिष्ठिरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रेप्सुः: wishing to obtain/capture
• प्रेप्सुः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-आप् (आप्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• आचार्यः: the teacher (Droṇa)
• आचार्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आचार्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शत्रुपूगहा: destroyer of masses of enemies
• शत्रुपूगहा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत्रु-पूग-हन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्यधमत्: he blew/struck down; he routed (lit. blew)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्मा
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तानि: those
• तानि: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• अनीकानि: armies, divisions (troops)
• अनीकानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनीक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• तूलराशिम्: a heap of cotton
• तूलराशिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तूल-राशि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• अनलः: fire
• अनलः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa (Droṇācārya)
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• anīkāni (battle-formations/army divisions)
• anala (fire)
• tūlarāśi (heap of cotton)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral strain of warfare: when a commander fixates on a strategic goal (capturing Yudhiṣṭhira), the means can become massively destructive. The cotton-and-fire simile emphasizes how quickly and indiscriminately violence can spread once unleashed, prompting reflection on proportionality and responsibility even amid duty-bound combat.

What is happening in the narrative?

Droṇa advances with the intent to seize Yudhiṣṭhira. To reach him, he breaks through and annihilates the intervening troop-formations, overwhelming them with the speed and totality likened to fire burning a pile of cotton.