तान् समेतान् रणे शूरांश् चेदिपाञ्चालसृञ्जयान् ॥
समन्ताद् द्रावयन् द्रोणो बह्व् अशोभत मारिष ॥
आकर्णपलितः श्यामो वयसाशीतिकात् परः ॥
रणे पर्यचरद् द्रोणो वृद्धः षोडशवर्षवत् ॥
अथ द्रोणं महाराज विचरन्तम् अभीतवत् ॥
वज्रहस्तम् अमन्यन्त शत्रवः शत्रुसूदनम् ॥
tān sametān raṇe śūrāṃś cedipāñcālasṛñjayān ||
samantād drāvayan droṇo bahv aśobhata māriṣa ||
ākarṇapalitaḥ śyāmo vayasāśītikāt paraḥ ||
raṇe paryacarad droṇo vṛddhaḥ ṣoḍaśavarṣavat ||
atha droṇaṃ mahārāja vicarantam abhītavat ||
vajrahastam amanyanta śatravaḥ śatrusūdanam ||
Those heroes gathered in battle — the Chedis, Panchalas, and Srinjayas — putting them to flight from every side, Drona shone forth greatly, O venerable one. Gray-haired down to his ears, dark-hued, past eighty years of age, Drona ranged through the battle, old, [yet] like a youth of sixteen. Then Drona, ranging fearlessly, O great king, was deemed by his enemies to hold the thunderbolt in hand — the slayer of foes.
52ea79da888e · प्रकाशित 19 जुल॰ 2026, 4:17:33 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Drona, "vayasā aśītikāt paraḥ," past eighty years of age, ranges through the battle "ṣoḍaśavarṣavat," like a youth of sixteen: the spirit overcomes the body's decrepitude. It is telling that his strength comes not from bodily youth but from accumulated tapas. The verse teaches that the power of the spirit does not depend on years: where the body has grown old, the spirit, strengthened by asceticism, remains young and fierce — and an old man driven by inner strength is more formidable than many young ones.