Shloka 35
Ulūpī–Citravāhinī Saṃvāda: Dhanaṃjaya-patana and Prāya-threat
महीं जगाम मोहार्तस्ततो राजन् धनंजय: । राजन! वह अत्यन्त दुःखदायी बाण पाण्बुपुत्र अर्जुनके मर्म-स्थलको विदीर्ण करके भीतर घुस गया। महाराज! पुत्रके चलाये हुए उस बाणसे अत्यन्त घायल होकर कुरुनन्दन अर्जुन मूर्च्छित हो पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े ।। तस्मिन् निपतिते वीरे कौरवाणां धुरंधरे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | mahīṃ jagāma mohārtaḥ tato rājan dhanaṃjayaḥ | tasmin nipatite vīre kauravāṇāṃ dhuraṃdhare ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna), overcome by bewilderment, sank down to the earth, O King. When that heroic champion—foremost among the Kauravas—fell thus, the scene turned grave, revealing how even the greatest warriors can be brought low when struck at a vital point and when the mind is clouded by shock. The passage underscores the ethical weight of kin-slaying and the tragic vulnerability that persists even amid royal and martial glory.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the mightiest warrior is not invulnerable: physical injury and mental shock (moha) can overturn strength and status. The episode invites reflection on dharma in conflict—how violence, especially within one’s own lineage, carries grave moral and emotional consequences.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna, stunned and overwhelmed, collapses to the ground. The verse frames the moment as the fall of a great champion (dhuraṃdhara), setting up the reactions and ensuing events after this sudden reversal.