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 |
三阇耶说道：德罗那在战阵中将那位王子连同其弓、其马与御者一并击倒，摧折得血肉模糊。被德罗那所杀，他从战车上坠落大地，宛如流星自苍穹陨下——此景昭示武人傲气在残酷战法之下迅疾而不可逆的崩落。
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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