Shloka 41
यस्यार्थे शस्त्रमादाय यमपेक्ष्य च जीवसि । स चाद्य पतित: शेते पृष्ठे नावेदितस्तव
yasyārthe śastram ādāya yam apekṣya ca jīvasi | sa cādya patitaḥ śete pṛṣṭhe nāveditas tava ||
Sañjaya dit : «Pour qui as-tu saisi les armes, et pour qui as-tu continué de vivre—jusqu’à fixer la Mort elle-même—, le voilà aujourd’hui tombé, étendu sur le dos, et toi, tu n’en as pas été averti.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of martial and worldly reliance: even the person for whose sake one bears arms and endures life in the shadow of death can suddenly fall. It highlights the ethical shock of war—attachments and loyalties are overturned by mortality, demanding sober awareness rather than complacent dependence.
Sañjaya delivers a stark report to his listener: the very person for whom the addressee has taken up weapons and persisted through peril is now slain and lying on his back, yet the addressee has not even been told. The line functions as a dramatic announcement of a crucial fall on the battlefield.