Shloka 15
कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा
Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying
तौ धरामन्वपसद्येतां वातरुग्णाविव द्रुमौ
tau dharām anvapasadyetāṃ vātarugṇāv iva drumau
Sañjaya said: The two of them sank down upon the earth, like two trees shattered by a violent wind—an image of warriors brought low by the irresistible force of battle and fate, where pride and strength collapse in a moment.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of embodied power: even the mighty can be brought down suddenly, like trees broken by wind. In the ethical atmosphere of the war, it hints at the inevitability of decline when violence and destiny converge, urging humility about strength and status.
Sañjaya reports that two figures on the battlefield collapse to the ground. The poet intensifies the scene with a simile: they fall like two wind-damaged trees, conveying both physical defeat and the abruptness of their downfall.