Shloka 9
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
शल्यं शरणदं शूरं पश्येमं वृष्णिनन्दन । शयानं वीरशयने शरैविशकलीकृतम्,वृष्णिनन्दन! देखो, ये दूसरोंको शरण देनेवाले शूरवीर शल्य बाणोंसे छिन्न-भिन्न होकर वीरशय्यापर सो रहे हैं
śalyaṁ śaraṇadaṁ śūraṁ paśyemaṁ vṛṣṇinandana | śayānaṁ vīraśayane śaraiś chinnabhinnīkṛtam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O descendant of the Vṛṣṇis, behold this Śalya—heroic and famed as a giver of refuge—now lying upon the warrior’s bed, his body torn and mangled by arrows.” The line underscores the moral irony of war: even those known for protecting others are reduced to helplessness when adharma-driven violence reaches its end.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of worldly power and reputation: even a renowned protector (śaraṇada) can be brought low by the consequences of war. It invites ethical reflection on violence and the sorrow that follows, a key mood of the Strī Parva.
Vaiśaṃpāyana points out Śalya’s fallen body to Vṛṣṇinandana (Kṛṣṇa), describing him lying on the battlefield as on a ‘hero’s bed,’ pierced and mangled by arrows—an image of the war’s aftermath.