द्रोण उवाच
चिन्त्यं बहु महाराज कृत्यं यत् तत्र मे शृणु ॥
त्रयो हि समतिक्रान्ताः पाण्डवानां महारथाः ॥
यावद् एव भयं पश्चात् तावद् एषां पुरःसरम् ॥
तद् गरीयस्तरं मन्ये यत्र कृष्णधनंजयौ ॥
सा पुरस्ताच् च पश्चाच् च गृहीता भारती चमूः ॥
तत्र कृत्यम् अहं मन्ये सैन्धवस्याभिरक्षणम् ॥
स नो रक्ष्यतमस् तात क्रुद्धाद् भीतो धनंजयात् ॥
droṇa uvāca
cintyaṃ bahu mahārāja kṛtyaṃ yat tatra me śṛṇu ||
trayo hi samatikrāntāḥ pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathāḥ ||
yāvad eva bhayaṃ paścāt tāvad eṣāṃ puraḥsaram ||
tad garīyastaraṃ manye yatra kṛṣṇadhanaṃjayau ||
sā purastāc ca paścāc ca gṛhītā bhāratī camūḥ ||
tatra kṛtyam ahaṃ manye saindhavasyābhirakṣaṇam ||
sa no rakṣyatamas tāta kruddhād bhīto dhanaṃjayāt ||
[Drona:] "Much must be considered, O great king; listen to what task lies before me there. For three great warriors of the Pandavas have broken through; that I consider the more grave [breach], where Krishna and Dhananjaya are. That host of the Bharatas is gripped both in front and behind. There I consider the task to be the protection of the Sindhu king; he is for us most to be guarded, O dear one, being fearful of the enraged Dhananjaya."
d4d70b9d0f03 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:17:33 PM UTC
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Drona perceives what matters most: the army "purastāc ca paścāc ca gṛhītā" — gripped front and back, and above all, "saindhavasya abhirakṣaṇam" — the protection of Jayadratha. It is telling that the wise, amid confusion, discern the essential. The verse teaches that in an hour of many threats one must perceive the decisive one: rather than scattering effort across every danger at once, the wise concentrate their strength on the crucial point — where the outcome is decided — for dispersal ruins, while concentration saves.