Shloka 14
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
क्षते क्षारं स हि ददौ पाण्डवस्य महात्मन: । पार्थोडपि भृशसंविद्धो ध्वजयष्टिं समाश्रित:,उसने इस प्रहारद्वारा महामना पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनके घावपर नमक छिड़क दिया। अर्जुन भी अत्यन्त घायल होकर ध्वज-दण्डके सहारे टिक गये
kṣate kṣāraṃ sa hi dadau pāṇḍavasya mahātmanaḥ | pārtho 'pi bhṛśa-saṃviddho dhvaja-yaṣṭiṃ samāśritaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Par ce coup, il sembla, pour ainsi dire, jeter du sel sur la blessure du magnanime fils de Pāṇḍu. Même Pārtha (Arjuna), grièvement atteint, s’appuya sur la hampe de son étendard pour se soutenir.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights heroic endurance in dharma-yuddha: even when grievously wounded, Arjuna does not collapse in spirit; the image of 'salt on a wound' underscores how conflict can intensify suffering, yet duty and resolve sustain the warrior.
Sañjaya reports that an enemy’s strike worsens Arjuna’s condition—likened to rubbing salt into a wound. Arjuna, badly hurt, steadies himself by leaning on the pole of his banner, indicating both physical strain and continued presence on the battlefield.