Shloka 15
सकुण्डलं पूर्णशशिप्रकाशं भ्राजिष्णु वक्त्रं विचकर्त देहात् । यथा पुरा वज्रधर: प्रसहा बलस्य संख्येडतिबलस्य राजन,राजन! तत्पश्चात् इन्द्रके वज़तुल्य भल्लसे उनके सारथिका सिर काटकर शिनिवंशके प्रमुख वीर सात्यकिने कालाग्निके समान तेजस्वी छुरेसे सुदर्शनके पूर्ण चन्द्रमाके समान प्रकाशमान शोभाशाली कुण्डलमण्डित मस्तकको भी धड़से काट गिराया। ठीक उसी प्रकार, जैसे पूर्वकालमें वज्रधारी इन्द्रने समरांगणमें अत्यन्त बलवान् बलासुरका सिर बलपूर्वक काट लिया था
sa-kuṇḍalaṁ pūrṇa-śaśi-prakāśaṁ bhrājiṣṇu vaktraṁ vicakarta dehāt | yathā purā vajra-dharaḥ prasahya balasya saṅkhye ’tibalasya rājan ||
Sañjaya said: With a single stroke he severed from the body that radiant face—adorned with earrings and shining like the full moon. It was as, in ancient times, Vajra-bearing Indra, O King, forcibly cut down in battle the head of the exceedingly mighty Bala. The simile underscores the terrible momentum of war: prowess is praised, yet the scene also exposes the grim cost of violence that dharma must continually reckon with.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse glorifies martial prowess through an Indra-simile, yet implicitly confronts the ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: victory is celebrated, but the narrative forces the listener to face the stark reality of death and the heavy moral weight borne in battle.
Sañjaya describes a warrior striking down an opponent by cutting off the radiant, earring-adorned head, comparing the act to Indra’s ancient feat of forcibly slaying the mighty Bala in combat.