Shloka 42
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
पतिता: सहसा भूमौ श्रुत्वा क्रूरं वचस्तदा । निःसंज्ञं पतितं भूमी तदासीदू राजमण्डलम्
patitāḥ sahasā bhūmau śrutvā krūraṃ vacas tadā | niḥsaṃjñaṃ patitaṃ bhūmī tadāsīdū rājamaṇḍalam ||
সেই নিষ্ঠুর বাক্য শুনে তারা হঠাৎ ভূমিতে লুটিয়ে পড়ল। সেই মুহূর্তে রাজমণ্ডল সমগ্রই মাটিতে অচেতন হয়ে পড়ে রইল।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of speech: cruel or harsh words can wound as powerfully as weapons, producing immediate collapse of courage, clarity, and social order—especially in a royal setting where words shape collective resolve.
After hearing a cruel utterance, the gathered royal circle/assembly is so stunned that they fall to the ground and become senseless, conveying a moment of overwhelming shock and despair in the war narrative.