Shloka 29
ते तस्य कवचं भित्त्वा हेमचित्रं महाधनम् । प्राविशन् धरणीं भित्त्वा वल्मीकमिव पन्नगा:,जैसे सर्प बाँबीमें घुस जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार वे बाण कृतवर्माके सुवर्णजटित बहुमूल्य कवचको छिज्न-भिन्न करके धरती फाड़कर उसके भीतर घुस गये
te tasya kavacaṃ bhittvā hemacitraṃ mahādhanam | prāviśan dharaṇīṃ bhittvā valmīkam iva pannagāḥ ||
Sanjaya said: Having shattered his richly wrought, gold-inlaid, exceedingly valuable armor, they pierced the earth and disappeared into it—like serpents slipping into an anthill. The image underscores the ruthless efficiency of battle: even splendid protection and worldly wealth offer no refuge when violence overwhelms restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of external protections—armor, wealth, and splendor—before the force of war; it implicitly cautions against relying on material safeguards when adharma-driven violence prevails.
In the midst of battle, attackers break through a warrior’s gold-ornamented, costly armor and then drive on so forcefully that they seem to pierce the ground and vanish into it, compared to snakes entering an anthill.