Shloka 39
भूरिश्रवसः गर्हा, प्रायोपवेशः, सात्यकिकृतशिरच्छेदः
Bhūriśravas’s Censure, Prāyopaveśa, and Sātyaki’s Beheading
सो<विध्यत् कृतवर्माणं यमदण्डोपम: शर:,सात्यकिका वह बाण यमदण्डके समान भयंकर था। उसने कृतवमकिे सुवर्णजटित चमकीले कवचको छित्न-भिन्न करके उसे गहरी चोट पहुँचायी तथा खूनसे लथपथ होकर वह धरतीमें समा गया
sa vidhyat kṛtavarmāṇaṃ yamadaṇḍopamaḥ śaraḥ | sātyakikāḥ sa bāṇo yamadaṇḍaka-samo bhayaṅkaraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: A terrifying arrow, like Yama’s rod of punishment, struck Kṛtavarmā. That missile of Sātyaki tore through his gold-inlaid, gleaming armour, inflicted a deep wound, and—soaked in blood—fell down into the earth. The scene underscores the grim moral weight of war: prowess and protection alike prove fragile before the inexorable ‘rod’ of death that battle repeatedly invokes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inexorability of death in war: even splendid armour and martial skill cannot ultimately shield one from the consequences of violent conflict, symbolized by the arrow likened to Yama’s punitive rod.
During the fighting in Droṇa Parva, Sātyaki shoots a fearsome arrow that pierces Kṛtavarmā’s gold-inlaid armour, gives him a deep wound, and the blood-smeared missile then falls and sinks into the ground.