इत्य् उक्त्वा प्राविशत् क्रुद्धो द्रोणानीकं वृकोदरः ॥
दृढैः पूर्णायतोत्सृष्टैर् द्रावयंस् तव वाहिनीम् ॥
धृष्टद्युम्नो ऽपि पाञ्चाल्यः प्रविश्य महतीं चमूम् ॥
आससाद रणे द्रोणं तदासीत् तुमुलं महत् ॥
नैव नस् तादृशं युद्धं दृष्टपूर्वं न च श्रुतम् ॥
यथा सूर्योदये राजन् समुत्पिञ्जो ऽभवन् महान् ॥
संसक्तानि व्यदृश्यन्त रथवृन्दानि मारिष ॥
हतानि च विकीर्णानि शरीराणि शरीरिणाम् ॥
के चिद् अन्यत्र गच्छन्तः पथि चान्यैर् उपद्रुताः ॥
विमुखाः पृष्ठतश् चान्ये ताड्यन्ते पार्श्वतो ऽपरे ॥
तथा संसक्तयुद्धं तद् अभवद् भृशदारुणम् ॥
अथ संध्यागतः सूर्यः क्षणेन समपद्यत ॥
ity uktvā prāviśat kruddho droṇānīkaṃ vṛkodaraḥ ||
dṛḍhaiḥ pūrṇāyatotsṛṣṭair drāvayaṃs tava vāhinīm ||
dhṛṣṭadyumno 'pi pāñcālyaḥ praviśya mahatīṃ camūm ||
āsasāda raṇe droṇaṃ tadāsīt tumulaṃ mahat ||
naiva nas tādṛśaṃ yuddhaṃ dṛṣṭapūrvaṃ na ca śrutam ||
yathā sūryodaye rājan samutpiñjo 'bhavan mahān ||
saṃsaktāni vyadṛśyanta rathavṛndāni māriṣa ||
hatāni ca vikīrṇāni śarīrāṇi śarīriṇām ||
ke cid anyatra gacchantaḥ pathi cānyair upadrutāḥ ||
vimukhāḥ pṛṣṭhataś cānye tāḍyante pārśvato 'pare ||
tathā saṃsaktayuddhaṃ tad abhavad bhṛśadāruṇam ||
atha saṃdhyāgataḥ sūryaḥ kṣaṇena samapadyata ||
'Drona, whose fuel is arrows and bow, burns the kshatra with his own might. Before he destroys the army of the Pandavas utterly, stand and watch my deed: I go against Drona himself.' So saying, the enraged Vrikodara burst into Drona's army, putting your army to flight with firm arrows loosed from full draw. And Dhrishtadyumna the Panchala, entering the great host, reached Drona in battle; then a great tumult arose. Rows of locked chariots were seen, O honored one, and the slain, scattered bodies of fallen beings. Thus that closely fought battle was most terrible; then the sun, having reached dusk, appeared in an instant.
05391d9ef45b · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:08:17 PM UTC
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The chapter closes with a sunrise over ferocious slaughter: a new day dawns over battle still unabated. It is telling that Drona is likened to an all-devouring fire, 'whose fuel is arrows and bow.' The verse teaches that unquenched enmity burns like flame, feeding on the very weapons that feed it; and the dawn, which should carry hope, only lights the continuation of destruction — for where the fire of strife remains unquenched, even a new day becomes a day of conflagration.