Shloka 22
Ulūpī–Citravāhinī Saṃvāda: Dhanaṃjaya-patana and Prāya-threat
सो<भ्यगात् सह पुड्खेन वल्मीकमिव पन्नगः । विनिर्भिद्य च कौन्तेयं प्रविवेश महीतलम्,जैसे साँप बाँबीमें घुस जाता है, उसी प्रकार वह बाण अर्जुनके शरीरमें पंखसहित घुस गया और उसे छेदकर पृथ्वीमें समा गया
so 'bhyagāt saha puṅkhena valmīkam iva pannagaḥ | vinirbhidya ca kaunteyaṁ praviveśa mahītalam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “That arrow, with its feathers still attached, sped on like a serpent slipping into its anthill. After piercing Kuntī’s son (Arjuna), it plunged through and disappeared into the earth.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark immediacy of martial consequence: an act of violence, once released, follows its course with inevitability. The simile of a serpent entering an anthill conveys swift, natural, almost unstoppable motion—reminding readers that in kṣatriya contexts, actions (especially weapons) carry irreversible ethical and narrative weight.
A feathered arrow strikes Arjuna, pierces through him, and continues onward until it enters the ground. The poet heightens the scene with a vivid comparison: like a snake slipping into an anthill, the arrow disappears into the earth after passing through its target.