Shloka 42
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
दीप्तामथैनां प्रहितां बलेन सविस्फुलिज्रां सहसा पतन्तीम् । प्रैक्षन्त सर्वे कुरव: समेता दिवो युगान्ते महतीमिवोल्काम्,बलपूर्वक फेंकी जानेसे प्रज्वलित हुई तथा आगकी चिनगारियाँ छोड़ती हुई उस शक्तिको, वहाँ आये हुए समस्त कौरवोंने प्रलयकालमें आकाशसे गिरनेवाली बड़ी भारी उल्काके समान सहसा शल्यपर गिरती देखा
dīptām athaināṁ prahitāṁ balena savisphulijrāṁ sahasā patantīm | praikṣanta sarve kuravaḥ sametā divo yugānte mahatīm ivolkām ||
Sañjaya said: Then all the assembled Kurus watched that blazing śakti, hurled with force, showering sparks as it fell swiftly—like a great meteor dropping from the sky at the end of an age—plunging upon Śalya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how deliberate human violence in war can assume an overwhelming, almost cosmic force—suggesting that once unleashed, destructive actions gain momentum beyond easy restraint. The apocalyptic simile (yugānta-ulka) frames battlefield events as morally weighty and consequential, urging reflection on the gravity of kṣatriya action and its costs.
Sañjaya describes a blazing śakti weapon, hurled with great strength, falling rapidly while throwing sparks. All the assembled Kurus watch it descend and strike Śalya, and its fall is compared to a huge meteor dropping from the sky at the end of an age.