Shloka 326
Śalya-parva Adhyāya 26 — Duryodhana’s remnant formation and rapid engagements
पपात काय: स रथाद् वसुधामनुनादयन् । महामनस्वी भीमसेनके क्षुरप्रसे मस्तक कट जानेपर उसका धड़ वसुधाको प्रतिध्वनित करता हुआ रथसे नीचे गिर पड़ा
papāta kāyaḥ sa rathād vasudhām anunādayan | mahāmanasvī bhīmasenake kṣurapraśe mastaka-kaṭa jānepara usakā dhaḍ vasudhāko pratidhvanita karatā huā rathase nīce gir paḍā |
Sañjaya said: When his head was severed by Bhīmasena’s razor-edged shaft, that great-souled warrior’s body fell from the chariot to the earth, striking it with a resounding thud. Thus, in the relentless justice of war, pride and prowess alike are brought down, and the battlefield bears witness to the swift, irreversible consequences of violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark moral gravity of war: even the great-souled are subject to sudden downfall, and violent action yields immediate, irreversible results—prompting reflection on the cost of conflict even when performed under kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where a warrior’s head is cut off by Bhīma’s razor-edged missile; the headless body then falls from the chariot to the ground with a loud reverberation.