Shloka 19
प्राविशद् धरणीं राजन् वल्मीकमिव पन्नग: । ततः सम्मुमुहे राज॑ंस्तव पुत्रो महारथ:,फिर उस धनुषको बलपूर्वक खींचकर उसने आपके पुत्रपर वह बाण छोड़ दिया। राजन! वह बाण दुःशासनको तथा उसके विशाल कवचको भी वेगपूर्वक विदीर्ण करके बाँबीमें घुसनेवाले सर्पके समान धरतीमें समा गया। महाराज! इससे आपका महारथी पुत्र मूर्च्छित हो गया
prāviśad dharaṇīṁ rājan valmīkam iva pannagaḥ | tataḥ sammumuhe rājaṁs tava putro mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, the arrow sank into the earth like a serpent entering its anthill. Thereupon, O King, your son—the great chariot-warrior—fell into a swoon.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the immediacy of karmic consequence in war: prowess and armor do not guarantee steadiness of mind. Even a ‘mahāratha’ can be overcome by shock, reminding the listener that violence destabilizes both body and consciousness, and that pride in martial status is fragile.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that an arrow, after its strike, plunges into the ground like a serpent entering an anthill; as a result, Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (the great chariot-warrior) becomes stunned and faints.