Shloka 128
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
तस्योत्सड्रे निपतितं शिरस्तच्चारुकुण्डलम् । वृद्धक्षत्रस्थ नृपतेरलक्षितमरिंदम,शत्रुदमन नरेश! जयद्रथका वह सुन्दर कुण्डलोंसे सुशोभित सिर राजा वृद्धक्षत्रकी गोदमें उनके बिना देखे ही गिर गया
tasyotsadre nipatitaṁ śirastac cārukuṇḍalam | vṛddhakṣatrastha nṛpater alakṣitam ariṁdama śatrudamana nareśa | jayadrathasya sundarakuṇḍalopetaṁ śiraḥ rājā vṛddhakṣatrasya godāyāṁ tenaivālakṣitam apatat ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kepala itu—berhias anting yang elok—jatuh ke pangkuan Raja Vṛddhakṣatra tanpa ia sadari; demikianlah kepala Jayadratha, penunduk musuh, terlepas dan mendarat di pangkuan ayahnya tanpa sepengetahuannya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral logic of consequence in war: even a celebrated ‘subduer of enemies’ meets a destined end, and the fruits of violence return with painful immediacy to one’s own lineage—here symbolized by the severed head falling into the father’s lap.
Sañjaya reports that Jayadratha’s severed head, still adorned with earrings, falls into the lap of his father King Vṛddhakṣatra, and the king does not notice it at first. The detail heightens the dramatic and ominous atmosphere surrounding Jayadratha’s death.