सर्वा दिशः समचरत् सैन्यं विक्षोभयन्न् इव ॥
बली शूरो महेष्वासो मित्राणाम् अभयंकरः ॥
तस्य विद्युद् इवाभ्रेषु चापं हेमपरिष्कृतम् ॥
दिक्षु सर्वास्व् अपश्याम द्रोणस्यामिततेजसः ॥
द्रोणस् तु पाण्डवानीके चकार कदनं महत् ॥
यथा दैत्यगणे विष्णुः सुरासुरनमस्कृतः ॥
sarvā diśaḥ samacarat sainyaṃ vikṣobhayann iva ||
balī śūro maheṣvāso mitrāṇām abhayaṃkaraḥ ||
tasya vidyud ivābhreṣu cāpaṃ hemapariṣkṛtam ||
dikṣu sarvāsv apaśyāma droṇasyāmitatejasaḥ ||
droṇas tu pāṇḍavānīke cakāra kadanaṃ mahat ||
yathā daityagaṇe viṣṇuḥ surāsuranamaskṛtaḥ ||
The mighty warrior, the great archer, ranged to every quarter, shaking the [enemy] army as though to overturn it, bringing safety to his own. His bow, trimmed with gold, we saw in every quarter—like lightning amid the clouds—belonging to Drona, that man of boundless ardor. And Drona wrought great slaughter in the ranks of the Pandavas, as Vishnu, honored by gods and asuras, among the host of daityas.
e1a824bbe848 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:00:04 PM UTC
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Drona is likened to Vishnu destroying the host of daityas—the highest comparison possible—and yet it carries a hidden bitterness. Vishnu slays daityas to uphold dharma, while Drona here crushes the Pandavas, who stand for dharma—the image is grand but applied to an unrighteous cause. It is telling that his golden bow, 'like lightning amid the clouds,' is seen everywhere: his might is genuine and dazzling. The verse teaches that the greatest strength and valor can serve the wrong side, and that an outward likeness to God does not sanctify the cause to which they are given; that talent without a rightly chosen side remains brilliant yet tragic; and that one does well to distinguish the force itself—worthy of praise—from the end for which it is here turned against the truth.