संजय उवाच
स एवम् अभ्यनुज्ञातश् चक्रे सेनापतिं ततः ॥
द्रोणं तव सुतो राजन् विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा ॥
अथाभिषिषिचुर् द्रोणं दुर्योधनमुखा नृपाः ॥
सेनापत्ये यथा स्कन्दं पुरा शक्रमुखाः सुराः ॥
ततो वादित्रघोषेण सह पुंसां महास्वनैः ॥
प्रादुरासीत् कृते द्रोणे हर्षः सेनापतौ तदा ॥
ततः पुण्याहघोषेण स्वस्तिवादस्वनेन च ॥
संस्तवैर् गीतशब्दैश् च सूतमागधबन्दिनाम् ॥
जयशब्दैर् द्विजाग्र्याणां सुभगानर्तितैस् तथा ॥
सत्कृत्य विधिवद् द्रोणं जितान् मन्यन्त पाण्डवान् ॥
saṃjaya uvāca
sa evam abhyanujñātaś cakre senāpatiṃ tataḥ ||
droṇaṃ tava suto rājan vidhidṛṣṭena karmaṇā ||
athābhiṣiṣicur droṇaṃ duryodhanamukhā nṛpāḥ ||
senāpatye yathā skandaṃ purā śakramukhāḥ surāḥ ||
tato vāditraghoṣeṇa saha puṃsāṃ mahāsvanaiḥ ||
prādurāsīt kṛte droṇe harṣaḥ senāpatau tadā ||
tataḥ puṇyāhaghoṣeṇa svastivādasvanena ca ||
saṃstavair gītaśabdaiś ca sūtamāgadhabandinām ||
jayaśabdair dvijāgryāṇāṃ subhagānartitais tathā ||
satkṛtya vidhivad droṇaṃ jitān manyanta pāṇḍavān ||
Thus, with his consent, your son, O king, then made Drona commander by the prescribed rite. And the kings, headed by Duryodhana, anointed Drona to the office of commander, as the gods, headed by Shakra [Indra], once [anointed] Skanda. Then, with the din of musical instruments and the loud shouts of men, rejoicing arose at Drona's installation as military leader. With the proclamation of 'auspicious is this day,' with blessings of 'svasti,' with praises and songs of the sutas, magadhas, and bards, with shouts of 'Victory!' from the foremost of the twice-born, and with the dances of lovely maidens, having honored Drona duly, by rite, [the Kauravas] deemed the Pandavas already vanquished.
befe32671f4a · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
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Drona's consecration is furnished with the full pomp of ritual -- music, blessings, the praises of bards, dances -- and ends in a verdict upon themselves: they 'deemed the Pandavas already vanquished.' Here is the limit of self-deception: triumph is proclaimed before the battle, victory reckoned before the fight. The comparison with Skanda, installed by the gods, is again ironic, for it is applied to the side of untruth. The verse teaches that a rite, however magnificent, does not predetermine the outcome, which lies in the power of dharma; that deeming the enemy 'already vanquished' before the fight is pride that precedes a fall; and that all the pomp of consecration is vain where an unrighteous cause is being consecrated, for blessing descends upon righteousness, not upon ritual.