Shloka 17
द्रोणेन दुर्योधनस्य कवचबन्धनम् — Drona’s Mantra-Bound Armor for Duryodhana
सातिष्ठद् वत्सला वत्सं दोग्धूपात्राणि चेच्छती । वत्सो5भूत् पुष्पित: शाल: प्लक्षो दोग्धाभवत् तदा
sātiṣṭhad vatsalā vatsaṁ dogdhūpātrāṇi cecchatī | vatso 'bhūt puṣpitaḥ śālaḥ plakṣo dogdhābhavat tadā ||
Nārada said: The affectionate cow stood there, longing for her calf and for the vessels used in milking. Then, in that wondrous transformation, the calf became a flowering śāla tree, and a plakṣa tree became the milker. The episode underscores how, when the order of nature is overturned, familiar bonds and duties are redirected into strange new forms—inviting reflection on attachment, duty, and the inscrutable workings of fate.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the instability of worldly forms and roles: even natural relationships (cow and calf, milker and vessel) can be reversed by destiny. Ethically, it prompts restraint in attachment and attentiveness to dharma amid changing circumstances.
Nārada narrates an extraordinary scene: a cow, yearning for her calf and milking vessels, witnesses a sudden transformation in which the calf becomes a flowering śāla tree and a plakṣa tree assumes the role of the milker.