Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 41
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
स पपात रथाद् भूमिं गतसत्त्वो5ल्पचेतन: । नरेश्वर! उस शक्ति ने रणभूमिमें उसके वक्ष:स्थलको विदीर्ण कर दिया। सत्यसेनकी चेतना जाती रही और वह प्राणशून्य होकर रथसे पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा || ४० ई ।।
sa papāta rathād bhūmiṁ gatasattvo 'lpacetanaḥ | nareśvara! sā śaktir raṇabhūmau tasya vakṣaḥsthalaṁ vidīrya tasya cetanāṁ jahāra, sa prāṇaśūnyaḥ san rathāt pṛthivyāṁ nipapāta || bhrātaraṁ nihataṁ dṛṣṭvā suṣeṇaḥ krodhamūrcchitaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: He fell from his chariot to the ground, his vital force gone and his awareness dim. O king, that spear-weapon tore open his chest on the battlefield; his consciousness departed, and bereft of life he dropped from the chariot onto the earth. Seeing his brother slain, Suṣeṇa, overcome by a swoon of wrath, (reacted…).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the immediacy and finality of violence in war: a single weapon-strike ends life and consciousness, and the sight of a loved one’s death can ignite overpowering anger. Ethically, it highlights how grief readily turns into rage, a force that can cloud judgment and propel further harm.
Sañjaya reports to the king that Satyasena has been struck by a śakti (spear-weapon), his chest split, and he falls lifeless from his chariot. Immediately after, Suṣeṇa sees his brother killed and becomes overwhelmed by anger, setting up the next action in the battle sequence.
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