तं दहन्तम् अनीकानि रथोदारं कृतान्तवत् ॥
सर्वतो ऽभ्यद्रवन् द्रोणं कुन्तीपुत्रपुरोगमाः ॥
तांस् तु शूरान् महेष्वासांस् तावकाभ्युद्यतायुधाः ॥
राजानो राजपुत्राश् च समन्तात् पर्यवारयन् ॥
ततो द्रोणः सत्यसंधः प्रभिन्न इव कुञ्जरः ॥
अभ्यतीत्य रथानीकं दृढसेनम् अपातयत् ॥
ततो राजानम् आसाद्य प्रहरन्तम् अभीतवत् ॥
अविध्यन् नवभिः क्षेमं स हतः प्रापतद् रथात् ॥
taṃ dahantam anīkāni rathodāraṃ kṛtāntavat ||
sarvato 'bhyadravan droṇaṃ kuntīputrapurogamāḥ ||
tāṃs tu śūrān maheṣvāsāṃs tāvakābhyudyatāyudhāḥ ||
rājāno rājaputrāś ca samantāt paryavārayan ||
tato droṇaḥ satyasaṃdhaḥ prabhinna iva kuñjaraḥ ||
abhyatītya rathānīkaṃ dṛḍhasenam apātayat ||
tato rājānam āsādya praharantam abhītavat ||
avidhyan navabhiḥ kṣemaṃ sa hataḥ prāpatad rathāt ||
On that glorious warrior, consuming the ranks just like Yama himself, [warriors] headed by the sons of Kunti charged from every side. But those warriors, great archers, your men — kings and princes, weapons upraised — encircled from every side. Then Drona, faithful to his vow, like an elephant in must, having broken through the chariot ranks, felled Dridhasena. Afterward, having overtaken a certain king who was striking fearlessly, he wounded Kshema with nine arrows — and struck down, that one fell from his chariot.
9ce27d6cafb9 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:00:04 PM UTC
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Drona is called 'faithful to his vow' at the very height of slaughter: one bound by his word carries it out to the end, whatever the cost. The image of the elephant in must, breaking through the ranks, conveys a force no barrier can hold. But 'faithfulness to a vow' here is double-edged: firmness in a given word is sacred, and yet that word was given to an unrighteous cause—to capture the King of Dharma. It is telling that the very virtue that adorns the hero draws him ever deeper into wrongdoing. The verse teaches that faithfulness to one's word is a high virtue, but not an unconditional one: a promise given for evil binds the conscience falsely; that firmness placed in the service of unrighteousness only multiplies misfortune; and that before swearing one must weigh what one is swearing to, for afterward honor itself will drive you to fulfill an evil deed.