Shloka 31
द्रोणपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः (Droṇa Parva, Chapter 15): युधिष्ठिर-रक्षा तथा अर्जुनस्य शरवृष्टिः
दृष्टवा चैनं महाराज गदयाभिनिपीडितम् । विचेष्टन्तं यथा नागं मूर्च्छयाभिपरिप्लुतम्,महाराज! आकर उसने देखा कि राजा शल्य गदासे पीड़ित एवं मूच्छासे अचेत हो आहत हुए नागकी भाँति छटपटा रहे हैं
dṛṣṭvā cainaṃ mahārāja gadayābhinipīḍitam | viceṣṭantaṃ yathā nāgaṃ mūrcchayābhipariplutam ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô grand roi, le voyant écrasé sous la masse—se tordant comme un serpent, envahi et comme submergé par l’évanouissement—les guerriers virent la funeste conséquence de ce coup».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: even the mighty are reduced to helpless suffering, reminding the listener that martial glory is inseparable from pain, vulnerability, and the tragic cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a warrior—struck and crushed by a mace—lies overwhelmed by faintness and writhes like a serpent, conveying the immediate, brutal aftermath of a decisive blow on the battlefield.