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Shloka 43

धरणीं विविशु: सर्वे वल्मीकमिव पन्नगा: । वे समस्त लोहमुख बाण आपके पुत्र दुःशासनको विदीर्ण करके उसी प्रकार धरतीमें समा गये, जैसे सर्प बाँबीमें प्रवेश करते हैं || ४२ हू ।।

dharaṇīṃ viviśuḥ sarve valmīkam iva pannagāḥ | te samastā lohamukhā bāṇāḥ tava putraṃ duḥśāsanaṃ vidīrya tathā dharaṇyāṃ samāgatāḥ, yathā sarpā valmīke praviśanti ||

Sañjaya dit : Toutes ces flèches à pointe de fer, après avoir déchiré ton fils Duḥśāsana, s’enfoncèrent dans la terre, comme des serpents qui glissent dans une termitière. L’image souligne l’élan impitoyable du combat : les armes accomplissent leur œuvre puis s’évanouissent, tandis que le poids moral de la violence demeure sur ceux qui ont choisi la voie de la guerre.

धरणीम्the earth (as object of entering)
धरणीम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootधरणी
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
विविशुःentered
विविशुः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootवि-विश्
FormPerfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada
सर्वेall
सर्वे:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसर्व
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
वल्मीकम्an anthill
वल्मीकम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootवल्मीक
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
इवlike/as
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
पन्नगाःserpents
पन्नगाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपन्नग
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
D
Duḥśāsana
A
arrows (bāṇāḥ)
E
earth (dharaṇī)
A
anthill (valmīka)
S
serpents (pannagāḥ)

Educational Q&A

The verse does not preach directly; it conveys the ethical gravity of war through stark imagery. Weapons may disappear into the earth after striking, but the responsibility for choosing violence and sustaining adharma remains with the agents and leaders who drive the conflict.

Sañjaya describes a volley of iron-tipped arrows that pierce Duḥśāsana and then sink into the ground, compared to snakes entering an anthill—emphasizing the speed, inevitability, and lethal precision of the battlefield exchange.