Shloka 10
इन्द्रजिद्-लक्ष्मणयुद्धम्
Indrajit and Lakṣmaṇa: Escalation through Concealment
ददृशे नकुलस्तत्र रथात् प्रस्कन्द्य खड्गधृक् । शिरांसि पादरक्षाणां बीजवत् प्रवपन् मुहुः,महावीर नकुल हाथमें तलवार लिये रथसे कूद पड़े और पादरक्षक सैनिकोंके मस्तक काट-काटकर बीजकी भाँति उन्हें बार-बार धरतीपर बोते दिखायी दिये
dadṛśe nakulas tatra rathāt praskandya khaḍgadhṛk | śirāṃsi pādarakṣāṇāṃ bījavat pravapan muhuḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: There, Nakula was seen leaping down from his chariot, sword in hand. Again and again he struck off the heads of the foot-guards, scattering them upon the ground like seeds—an image of relentless battlefield prowess, showing how martial skill, unleashed in war, turns living bodies into mere tokens of victory.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not preach directly; it presents a stark war-image: in kṣatriya conflict, valor and skill can become relentless destruction. The ethical tension implicit in the simile—heads scattered 'like seeds'—highlights how war reduces persons to objects, even while celebrating martial prowess.
Nakula jumps down from his chariot with a sword and repeatedly beheads the enemy foot-guards, scattering their severed heads on the ground, described with the vivid simile of sowing seeds.