Shloka 48
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 29 — Arjuna’s defeat of Vṛṣaka–Acalā and the neutralization of Śakuni’s māyā
स भिन्नहृदयो राजा भगदत्त: किरीटिना,किरीट्धारी अर्जुनके द्वारा हृदय विदीर्ण कर दिये जानेपर राजा भगदत्तने प्राणशून्य हो अपने धनुष-बाण त्याग दिये। उनके सिरसे पगड़ी और पट्टीका वह सुन्दर वस्त्र खिसककर गिर गया, जैसे कमलनालके ताडनसे उसका पत्ता टूटकर गिर जाता है
sa bhinnahṛdayo rājā bhagadattaḥ kirīṭinā | kirīṭadhārī arjunena hṛdayaṃ vidīryamāṇaḥ prāṇaśūnyaḥ san dhanurbāṇān tyaktavān | tasya śirasaḥ pṛṣṭhī ca paṭṭikā ca sā sundaravastrāvalī khisakya papāta, yathā kamalanālasya tāḍanena pattraṃ chinnaṃ patati ||
Sañjaya dit : Le roi Bhagadatta, le cœur fendu par Arjuna au diadème, fut privé de vie et laissa tomber son arc et ses flèches. De sa tête glissèrent et tombèrent son turban et son bandeau—ces beaux tissus—comme une feuille de lotus se détache et chute lorsque sa tige est frappée.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights impermanence and the ethical gravity of war: royal power and outward insignia (weapons, turban, headband) mean nothing once prāṇa departs. It also reflects kṣatriya-dharma’s harsh arena, where duty-bound combat leads to irreversible consequences.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna (the diadem-wearer) mortally wounds King Bhagadatta by splitting his heart. Bhagadatta dies, drops his bow and arrows, and his head-cloths slip and fall—compared poetically to a lotus-leaf falling when its stalk is struck.