Shloka 55
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 94: Sātyaki–Sudarśana Yuddha (सात्यकि–सुदर्शन युद्ध)
हत्वा श्रुतायुधं वीर॑ धरणीमन्वपद्यत । गदां निवर्तितां दृष्टवा निहतं च श्रुतायुधम्
hatvā śrutāyudhaṃ vīra dharaṇīm anvapadyata | gadāṃ nivartitāṃ dṛṣṭvā nihataṃ ca śrutāyudham ||
قال سنجيا: وبعد أن قُتل البطل شروتايودها سقط على الأرض. ولمّا رُئيت الهراوة وقد ارتدّت عن مسارها، ورُئي شروتايودها صريعًا، انكشفت العبرة القاتمة للقتال: فالعنف إذا أُطلق قد يرتدّ على صاحبه، وحتى الشجاع يُطرح أرضًا حين تُنتهك شروط سلاحه وسلوكه.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a recurring Mahābhārata ethic: destructive force is unstable and can rebound upon its user. Even a brave warrior falls when the moral or conditional safeguards surrounding a weapon are breached; thus, dharma and restraint are portrayed as integral to power.
Sañjaya reports that Śrutāyudha has been killed and has fallen to the ground. The narrator highlights that the mace has been turned back (as if recoiling), and Śrutāyudha is seen lying slain—marking the end of his combat episode.