Shloka 21
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
सासिर्बाहुर्निपतित: शिरश्छिन्न॑ं सकुण्डलम्
sāsirbāhur nipatitaḥ śiraś chinnaṃ sakuṇḍalam
Sañjaya said: With sword in hand and arm outstretched, he fell; his head—severed—dropped as well, still adorned with earrings. The line starkly underscores the brutal finality of battle, where prowess and ornament alike are rendered meaningless before death.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impermanence of bodily power and worldly adornment: in war, even the mighty fall, and external marks of status (like ornaments) cannot shield one from the consequences of violence and mortality.
Sañjaya describes a warrior being struck down in combat: he collapses with sword and arm, and his head is severed and falls, still wearing earrings—an image emphasizing the ferocity and decisive lethality of the battle.