Shloka 42
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
तद् वर्म हेमविकृतं रत्नचित्रं बभौ पतत् | स्विद्युदभ्र॑ सवितु: श्लिष्टं वातहतं यथा
tad varma hemavikṛtaṃ ratnacitraṃ babhau patat | svidyudabhraṃ savituḥ śliṣṭaṃ vātahataṃ yathā ||
संजय बोले—वह सुवर्ण-निर्मित, रत्नजटित कवच गिरते समय ऐसा शोभायमान था, मानो सूर्य से सटा हुआ बिजली से युक्त बादल वायु के आघात से नीचे गिर रहा हो।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights impermanence amid war: even magnificent, gold-and-gem armor cannot ultimately protect; worldly brilliance is brought down by overpowering forces (battle, fate), reminding the listener of the fragility of status and possessions.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s jeweled, gold-ornamented armor falling to the ground, comparing its dazzling descent to a lightning-filled cloud torn from near the sun and driven downward by a gust of wind.