Shloka 47
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
स विद्धो व्यथितश्वैव मुहूर्त कश्मलायुत: । निषसाद रथोपस्थे ध्वजयष्टिं समाश्रित:,इससे अत्यन्त घायल और व्यथित होकर मूर्च्छित हो ध्वजका सहारा ले वह दो घड़ीतक रथके पिछले भागमें बैठा रहा
sa viddho vyathitaś caiva muhūrtaṁ kaśmalāyutaḥ | niṣasāda rathopasthe dhvajayaṣṭiṁ samāśritaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Frappé par le coup, il fut grièvement blessé et, un instant, tomba dans l’évanouissement et la confusion. S’appuyant au mât de l’étendard, il s’assit à l’arrière du char—image de la manière dont même les plus grands guerriers sont, un moment, rabaissés par les limites du corps au milieu des dures exigences de la guerre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the reality of embodied limitation: in war, even powerful fighters can be overwhelmed by pain and momentary confusion. It implicitly cautions against pride and highlights the ethical gravity of battle, where suffering is immediate and unavoidable.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior has been struck, becomes distressed and briefly faints or is bewildered, then sits down on the chariot’s rear/seat area, supporting himself by holding the chariot’s flagstaff.