Shloka 5
द्रौणिप्रतिज्ञा–नारायणास्त्रवर्णनम्
Drauṇi’s Vow and the Description of the Nārāyaṇāstra
सो<पेतवर्मा पुत्रस्ते विरराज भृशं नृप । उत्सृज्य काले राजेन्द्र निर्मोकमिव पन्नग:,नरेश्वर! राजेन्द्र! कवच कट जानेपर आपका पुत्र चित्रसेन समयपर केंचुल छोड़नेवाले सर्पके समान अत्यन्त सुशोभित हुआ
so 'petavarmā putras te virarāja bhṛśaṃ nṛpa | utsṛjya kāle rājendra nirmokam iva pannagaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô roi, ton fils —Citrāsena (Apetavarmā)—brilla d’un éclat extrême. Au moment voulu, ô seigneur des rois, il rejeta son armure comme le serpent abandonne sa vieille peau, signe d’un changement délibéré : de la protection à l’action décisive sous la contrainte de la guerre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kāla—acting at the proper time. The simile of a serpent shedding its skin suggests purposeful change: discarding what has become limiting and adopting the right posture for the moment, a key ethical-pragmatic value in epic warfare and leadership.
Sañjaya reports to the king that his son becomes strikingly resplendent, described as casting off armour at the right moment, like a serpent shedding its slough—an image of readiness and a decisive turn in the unfolding battle scene.