Shloka 17
द्रोणेन दुर्योधनस्य कवचबन्धनम् — Drona’s Mantra-Bound Armor for Duryodhana
सातिष्ठद् वत्सला वत्सं दोग्धूपात्राणि चेच्छती । वत्सो5भूत् पुष्पित: शाल: प्लक्षो दोग्धाभवत् तदा
sātiṣṭhad vatsalā vatsaṁ dogdhūpātrāṇi cecchatī | vatso 'bhūt puṣpitaḥ śālaḥ plakṣo dogdhābhavat tadā ||
Nārada berkata: Sapi yang penuh kasih itu berdiri di sana, merindukan anaknya dan bejana-bejana untuk memerah. Lalu, dalam perubahan yang menakjubkan, anaknya menjadi pohon śāla yang sedang berbunga, dan pohon plakṣa menjadi sang pemerah.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the instability of worldly forms and roles: even natural relationships (cow and calf, milker and vessel) can be reversed by destiny. Ethically, it prompts restraint in attachment and attentiveness to dharma amid changing circumstances.
Nārada narrates an extraordinary scene: a cow, yearning for her calf and milking vessels, witnesses a sudden transformation in which the calf becomes a flowering śāla tree and a plakṣa tree assumes the role of the milker.