Shloka 48
यमाश्रित्याकरोद् बैरं पुत्रस्ते स गतो दिवम् | आदाय तव पुत्राणां जयाशां शर्म वर्म च
yamāśrityākarod bairaṃ putras te sa gato divam | ādāya tava putrāṇāṃ jayāśāṃ śarma varma ca
Śalya said: “Relying on Yama (the Lord of Death), your son entered into enmity and has now gone to heaven. And he has taken with him your sons’ hope of victory—along with their protection and armour.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
In war, hostility driven by reliance on death or fate leads to irreversible loss; when a key warrior falls, not only life is lost but also the morale, security, and strategic ‘armour’ of the whole side. The verse underscores the ethical weight of enmity and the cascading consequences of violent choices.
Śalya addresses an opponent leader (contextually, the Kaurava side) and remarks that the addressed person’s son has died and gone to heaven. He adds that with that death the hope of victory, along with the sense of safety and protection of the remaining sons, has been carried away—indicating a collapse of confidence and defensive strength.