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
dīptām athaināṁ prahitāṁ balena savisphulijrāṁ sahasā patantīm | praikṣanta sarve kuravaḥ sametā divo yugānte mahatīm ivolkām ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Entonces todos los Kurus reunidos contemplaron aquella śakti ardiente, lanzada con fuerza, que al caer de pronto despedía chispas—como un gran meteoro que se desploma del cielo al fin de una era—precipitándose sobre 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.