Shloka 17
सौप्तिकपर्व — धृष्टद्युम्नसारथिवृत्तान्तः
Report of the Night Raid and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament
रथद्वदं शरवर्षोर्मिमन्तं रत्नाचितं वाहनवाजियुक्तम् | शक्त्यूष्टिमीनध्वजनागनक्रं शरासनावर्तमहेषुफेनम्
sūta uvāca |
rathahradaṁ śaravarṣormimantaṁ ratnācitaṁ vāhanavājiyuktam |
śaktyṛṣṭimīna-dhvaja-nāga-nakraṁ śarāsanāvarta-maheṣuphenam ||
苏多说道：“那如海一般的德罗纳，仿佛以战车为水的巨泽：箭雨翻涌成浪；珠宝饰物为其珍藏；车马如海中骏骑。矛与枪如群鱼；旗幡与凶兵如蛇与鳄；弓为漩涡，大箭为白沫。弓弦与车轮之声，便是那大海的咆哮。那些曾以种种兵器、或大或小，作舟渡过这‘德罗纳之海’的王子们，后来却因疏忽而被杀。”
सूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of pramāda (heedlessness): even warriors capable of crossing overwhelming peril in open battle can be destroyed when vigilance and restraint lapse. Martial prowess alone is not sufficient; alertness and right conduct remain decisive.
The narrator (Sūta) uses an extended ocean metaphor to describe Droṇa’s formidable presence in battle—chariots, arrows, bows, and weapons become features of a raging sea. He then contrasts that past triumph with the later killing of princes who, despite surviving such a ‘Drona-ocean,’ were slain when they became careless.