Shloka 19
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 29 — Arjuna’s defeat of Vṛṣaka–Acalā and the neutralization of Śakuni’s māyā
वैजयन्त्यभवन्माला तदस्त्रं केशवोरसि । पद्मकोशविचित्राब्या सर्वर्तुकुसुमोत्कटा
vaijayantyabhavanmālā tad astraṃ keśavorasi | padmakośavicitrābhyā sarvartukusumotkaṭā ||
Sañjaya said: That missile, striking Keśava upon the chest, became a Vaijayantī garland—adorned with variegated lotus-buds and thick with blossoms of every season.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the supremacy of divine guardianship aligned with dharma: hostile force cannot truly injure the divinely protected; instead, aggression is rendered powerless and even transformed into beauty, warning against unrighteous violence.
Sañjaya reports that a weapon aimed at Keśava strikes his chest but, rather than wounding him, turns into the Vaijayantī garland—rich with lotus-buds and seasonal blossoms—signaling a miraculous reversal on the battlefield.