Shloka 28
अध्याय ५३ — रणमेघोपमा सेना-वर्णना तथा सुषेण-वधोत्तर प्रतिक्रिया
Battle-as-Storm Imagery and the Aftermath of Suṣeṇa’s Fall
चलतस्तस्य कायात् तु शिरो ज्वलितकुण्डलम् | सोष्णीषं सशिरस्त्राणं क्षुरप्रेण त्वपातयद्,उसी अवस्थामें कृपाचार्यने एक क्षुरप्रद्धारा सुकेतुके जगमगाते हुए कुण्डलोंसे युक्त पगड़ी और शिरस्त्राणसहित मस्तकको उसकी काँपती हुई कायासे काट गिराया
calatastasya kāyāt tu śiro jvalitakuṇḍalam | soṣṇīṣaṃ saśirastrāṇaṃ kṣurapreṇa tvapātayat ||
Saat ia masih bergerak di medan laga, Kṛpācārya menjatuhkan kepalanya—berhiaskan anting yang menyala—dari tubuhnya yang gemetar. Dengan anak panah bermata silet (kṣurapra), kepala itu ditebas bersama sorban dan pelindung kepala.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inexorable nature of warfare and mortality: external marks of honor—ornaments and armor—cannot ultimately shield one from the consequences of combat and destiny. It implicitly warns against attachment to status and emphasizes the grave ethical weight of choosing the path of war.
Sañjaya narrates a battlefield moment where a warrior’s head, still adorned with shining earrings and protected by turban and helmet, is cut down from his moving body by a razor-edged missile (kṣurapra), dramatically signaling a decisive and lethal strike.