Shloka 10
अध्याय ९१ — शैनेयस्य गजानीकभेदनं जलसंधवधश्च
Chapter 91: Sātyaki breaks the elephant array and slays Jalasaṃdha
शिरसां पततां राजन् शब्दो5भूद् वसुधातले । कालेन परिपकवानां तालानां पततामिव,राजन्! कालसे परिपक्व हुए ताड़के फलोंके पृथ्वीपर गिरनेसे जैसा शब्द होता है, उसी प्रकार रणभूमिमें कटकर गिरते हुए योद्धाओंके मस्तकोंका शब्द होता था
sañjaya uvāca |
śirasāṃ patatāṃ rājan śabdo 'bhūd vasudhātale |
kālena paripakvānāṃ tālānāṃ patatām iva rājan ||
Wahai Raja, di permukaan bumi terdengar bunyi kepala-kepala yang jatuh—laksana dentum buah lontar yang masak pada waktunya ketika gugur ke tanah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the relentless, time-driven inevitability (kāla) with which death occurs in war, using a natural simile (ripened palm fruits falling). It invites reflection on the ethical gravity of violence: even when events seem 'inevitable,' the suffering and moral cost remain real.
Sañjaya describes to the king the battlefield sound produced as warriors’ severed heads fall to the ground, comparing it to the sound of ripe palm fruits dropping in season.