तस्मिन् रात्रिमुखे घोरे महाशब्दनिनादिते ॥
भीरूणां त्रासजनने शूराणां हर्षवर्धने ॥
रात्रियुद्धे तदा घोरे वर्तमाने सुदारुणे ॥
द्रोणम् अभ्यद्रवन् क्रुद्धाः सहिताः पाण्डुसृञ्जयाः ॥
ये ये प्रमुखतो राजन् न्यवर्तन्त महात्मनः ॥
तान् सर्वान् विमुखांश् चक्रे कांश् चिन् निन्ये यमक्षयम् ॥
tasmin rātrimukhe ghore mahāśabdaninādite ||
bhīrūṇāṃ trāsajanane śūrāṇāṃ harṣavardhane ||
rātriyuddhe tadā ghore vartamāne sudāruṇe ||
droṇam abhyadravan kruddhāḥ sahitāḥ pāṇḍusṛñjayāḥ ||
ye ye pramukhato rājan nyavartanta mahātmanaḥ ||
tān sarvān vimukhāṃś cakre kāṃś cin ninye yamakṣayam ||
In that terrible onset of night, echoing with great noise, birthing terror for the faint-hearted, increasing joy for the heroes -- in that ongoing, most dreadful night-battle, the enraged Pandavas and Srinjayas together rushed at Drona. Whoever stood in front, o king, against the great-souled Drona, all those he turned back; some he sent to the abode of Yama.
3bfdddbca420 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:31:38 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Drona alone repels the entire onslaught of the night battle, turning back everyone: the teacher is formidable both in the dark and in his final hour. It is significant that the same noise that terrifies the faint-hearted delights the heroes: one and the same darkness is, for some, an abyss of fear, and for others, a field of valor. The verse teaches that fear and courage are born not of circumstance but of the heart; and he who is firm of spirit finds, in the very darkness where others freeze, a field for his own feat.