Shloka 65
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
प्रमुखे वर्तमानस्य भल्लेनापाहरच्छिर: । तत्पश्चात् एक चमकीले, सुदृढ़ और तीखे भल्लसे सामने खड़े हुए उस राजकुमारके मस्तकको काट गिराया ।। ६४ $ ।। सकुण्डलं तद् ददृशे पतमानं शिरो रथात्
sakuṇḍalaṃ tad dadṛśe patamānaṃ śiro rathāt |
Sanjaya sprach: Dann sah er jenes Haupt — noch mit Ohrringen geschmückt — vom Wagen herabstürzen. Die Zeile betont die harte Endgültigkeit der Gewalt im Krieg: Weder königliche Insignien noch persönlicher Schmuck vermögen vor den Folgen der Schlacht zu schützen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights impermanence and the leveling force of war: outward marks of nobility (like earrings) do not prevent death. It implicitly cautions against pride in status and reminds the listener that violence in battle brings irreversible consequences.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment: after a warrior’s head has been cut off (as described in the preceding line), it is seen falling from the chariot, still ornamented with earrings—an image emphasizing the immediacy and brutality of the combat.