Shloka 22
Ulūpī–Citravāhinī Saṃvāda: Dhanaṃjaya-patana and Prāya-threat
सो<भ्यगात् सह पुड्खेन वल्मीकमिव पन्नगः । विनिर्भिद्य च कौन्तेयं प्रविवेश महीतलम्,जैसे साँप बाँबीमें घुस जाता है, उसी प्रकार वह बाण अर्जुनके शरीरमें पंखसहित घुस गया और उसे छेदकर पृथ्वीमें समा गया
so 'bhyagāt saha puṅkhena valmīkam iva pannagaḥ | vinirbhidya ca kaunteyaṁ praviveśa mahītalam ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : « Cette flèche, ses plumes encore attachées, fila comme un serpent qui se glisse dans sa termitière. Après avoir percé le fils de Kuntī (Arjuna), elle s’enfonça et disparut dans la terre. »
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark immediacy of martial consequence: an act of violence, once released, follows its course with inevitability. The simile of a serpent entering an anthill conveys swift, natural, almost unstoppable motion—reminding readers that in kṣatriya contexts, actions (especially weapons) carry irreversible ethical and narrative weight.
A feathered arrow strikes Arjuna, pierces through him, and continues onward until it enters the ground. The poet heightens the scene with a vivid comparison: like a snake slipping into an anthill, the arrow disappears into the earth after passing through its target.