Shloka 5
द्रौणिप्रतिज्ञा–नारायणास्त्रवर्णनम्
Drauṇi’s Vow and the Description of the Nārāyaṇāstra
सो<पेतवर्मा पुत्रस्ते विरराज भृशं नृप । उत्सृज्य काले राजेन्द्र निर्मोकमिव पन्नग:,नरेश्वर! राजेन्द्र! कवच कट जानेपर आपका पुत्र चित्रसेन समयपर केंचुल छोड़नेवाले सर्पके समान अत्यन्त सुशोभित हुआ
so 'petavarmā putras te virarāja bhṛśaṃ nṛpa | utsṛjya kāle rājendra nirmokam iva pannagaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O king, your son (Apetavarmā) shone exceedingly. At the proper moment, O lord of kings, he cast off his armour like a serpent shedding its slough—suggesting a deliberate, timely shift in stance, from mere protection to decisive action amid the pressures of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kāla—acting at the proper time. The simile of a serpent shedding its skin suggests purposeful change: discarding what has become limiting and adopting the right posture for the moment, a key ethical-pragmatic value in epic warfare and leadership.
Sañjaya reports to the king that his son becomes strikingly resplendent, described as casting off armour at the right moment, like a serpent shedding its slough—an image of readiness and a decisive turn in the unfolding battle scene.