Shloka 40
भूरिश्रवसः गर्हा, प्रायोपवेशः, सात्यकिकृतशिरच्छेदः
Bhūriśravas’s Censure, Prāyopaveśa, and Sātyaki’s Beheading
जाम्बूनदविचित्रं च वर्म निर्भिद्य भानुमत् अभ्यगाद् धरणीमुग्रो रुधिरेण समुक्षित:,सात्यकिका वह बाण यमदण्डके समान भयंकर था। उसने कृतवमकिे सुवर्णजटित चमकीले कवचको छित्न-भिन्न करके उसे गहरी चोट पहुँचायी तथा खूनसे लथपथ होकर वह धरतीमें समा गया
sañjaya uvāca | jāmbūnadavicitraṃ ca varma nirbhidya bhānumat abhyagād dharaṇīm ugro rudhireṇa samukṣitaḥ |
Sañjaya sprach: Nachdem er den strahlenden, mit Jāmbūnada-Gold prunkvoll geschmückten Harnisch durchbohrt und zerschmettert hatte, stürzte der grimmige Krieger, vom Blut überströmt, zu Boden.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral reality of war: external splendor—like radiant, gold-inlaid armor—cannot ultimately protect one from the consequences of combat and destiny. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring reminder of mortality and the limits of worldly power amid kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya describes a warrior being struck so powerfully that his shining, ornate armor is pierced and broken; wounded and covered in blood, he collapses and falls to the ground. The accompanying Hindi gloss identifies the strike as Sātyaki’s fearsome arrow likened to Yama’s staff.