Shloka 40

Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel and the Discharge of the Śakti (शल्यवधप्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

स किड्किणीकजालेन महता चारुदर्शन: । पपात रुचिर: संख्ये भीमसेनस्थ पश्यत:,वह देखनेमें मनोहर और सुन्दर ध्वज भीमसेनके देखते-देखते छोटी-छोटी घंटियोंके महान्‌ समूहके साथ युद्धस्थलमें गिर पड़ा

Transliteration

sa kiṅkiṇīkajālena mahatā cārudarśanaḥ | papāta ruciraḥ saṅkhye bhīmasenastha paśyataḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: That lovely, splendid banner—beautiful to behold—fell upon the battlefield, along with its great net of tiny bells, even as Bhīmasena watched. The moment marks a visible collapse of martial pride and a turning of fortune amid the harsh ethics of war, where signs and standards fall as swiftly as lives.

Word by Word

• सः: he/that (one)
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• किङ्किणीकजालेन: with a net/cluster of small bells
• किङ्किणीकजालेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: किङ्किणीकजाल
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• महता: great, large
• महता: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• चारुदर्शनः: of pleasing appearance
• चारुदर्शनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चारुदर्शन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पपात: fell
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• रुचिरः: beautiful, splendid
• रुचिरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुचिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सङ्ख्ये: in battle
• सङ्ख्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्ख्य
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• भीमसेनस्य: of Bhimasena
• Type: Proper Noun
• Root: भीमसेन
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पश्यतः: while (he) was seeing; of (him) seeing
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश्यत्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular, Śatṛ (present active participle)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Bhimasena (Bhima)
• banner/standard (dhvaja)
• net/cluster of small bells (kiṅkiṇīkajāla)
• battlefield (saṅkhya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores impermanence and the swift reversal of fortune in war: even the most splendid symbols of power (a banner with ringing bells) can fall in an instant. Ethically, it reminds the listener that external marks of glory are fragile, and that victory and defeat unfold under forces beyond mere display—calling for humility and steadiness in dharma amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a beautiful battle-standard, adorned with a large cluster of small bells, collapses onto the battlefield while Bhīma watches. The falling of the banner functions as a vivid battlefield event and a sign-like moment within the larger combat narrative of the Śalya Parva.