Shloka 42
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
पतिता: सहसा भूमौ श्रुत्वा क्रूरं वचस्तदा । निःसंज्ञं पतितं भूमी तदासीदू राजमण्डलम्
patitāḥ sahasā bhūmau śrutvā krūraṃ vacas tadā | niḥsaṃjñaṃ patitaṃ bhūmī tadāsīdū rājamaṇḍalam ||
Hearing those harsh words, they suddenly fell to the ground. At that moment the royal circle lay collapsed and senseless upon the earth—overwhelmed, as if life and resolve had been struck down together.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of speech: cruel or harsh words can wound as powerfully as weapons, producing immediate collapse of courage, clarity, and social order—especially in a royal setting where words shape collective resolve.
After hearing a cruel utterance, the gathered royal circle/assembly is so stunned that they fall to the ground and become senseless, conveying a moment of overwhelming shock and despair in the war narrative.