Shloka 22
Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 17 — Śālva’s encampment and the Yādava counter-engagement at Dvārakā
तैः स विद्धों महाबाहु: प्रद्युम्न: समरे स्थित: । जन्रुदेशे भृशं वीरो व्यवासीदद् रथे तदा,शाल्वके उन बाणोंद्वारा कण्ठके मूलभागमें गहरा आघात लगनेसे अत्यन्त घायल होकर समरमें स्थित महाबाहु वीर प्रद्युम्म उस समय रथपर मूर्च्छित हो गये
taiḥ sa viddho mahābāhuḥ pradyumnaḥ samare sthitaḥ | grīvādeśe bhṛśaṁ vīro vyavāsīd rathē tadā ||
Alcanzado por aquellas flechas, Pradyumna, de poderosos brazos, aunque aún en medio del combate, recibió una herida gravísima en la región del cuello. Vencido por el golpe, el héroe se desplomó sin sentido sobre su carro—imagen de cómo incluso el mayor valor puede ser contenido por la fuerza áspera e impersonal de la guerra.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the vulnerability of even the greatest warriors: courage and duty may keep one in the fight, yet the realities of violence and bodily limitation can abruptly overturn strength. It invites reflection on the ethical cost of war and the impermanence of worldly power.
Pradyumna is pierced by arrows and suffers a severe wound at the neck. Though he had remained in battle, the injury overwhelms him and he collapses unconscious on his chariot.