Shloka 23
द्रोणपुत्रस्याग्नेयास्त्रप्रयोगः — अर्जुनस्य ब्राह्मास्त्रप्रतिघातः — व्यासोपदेशः
Aśvatthāmā’s Agneyāstra, Arjuna’s Brāhmāstra Counter, and Vyāsa’s Instruction
तच्छिरो न््यपतद् भूमौ संदष्टौष्ठपुर्ट रणे । महावातसमुद्धूतं पकक्वं तालफलं यथा,रणभूमिमें उस मस्तकने अपने ओठको दाँतोंसे दबा रखा था। वह आँधीके द्वारा गिराये हुए पके ताल-फलके समान पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
tacchiro nyapatad bhūmau saṃdaṣṭauṣṭhapūṭa raṇe | mahāvātasamuddhūtaṃ pakvaṃ tālaphalaṃ yathā ||
Sañjaya said: In the midst of the battle, that severed head fell to the earth, the lips clenched tight against the teeth—like a ripe palmyra fruit knocked down by a mighty gale. The image underscores the brutal inevitability of death in war: even the proud and resolute are brought down by forces larger than themselves, and the battlefield reduces human will to a momentary gesture before collapse.
संजय उवाच