Shloka 22
Adhyāya 110: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament on Fate; Saṃjaya’s Reproof and the Princes’ Assault on Bhīma (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय ११०)
राजन्! काले काजलके ढेरके समान वह राक्षस बहुत-से बाणोंद्वारा सब ओरसे घायल होकर लहूलुहान हो खिले हुए पलाशके वृक्षके समान सुशोभित होने लगा ।। स वध्यमान: समरे भीमचापच्युतै: शरै: । स्मरन् भ्रातृवधं चैव पाण्डवेन महात्मना
sañjaya uvāca | rājan! kāle kājalaka-ḍheraka-samānaḥ sa rākṣasaḥ bahubhiḥ bāṇaiḥ sarvataḥ ghāto bhūtvā lohitāṅgaḥ prasphuṭita-palāśa-vṛkṣa iva suśobhitum ārabdhavān || sa vadhyamānaḥ samare bhīma-cāpa-cyutaiḥ śaraiḥ | smaran bhrātṛ-vadhaṃ caiva pāṇḍavena mahātmanā ||
サञ्जयは言った。「王よ、あの羅刹は、黒いカージャラ（眼の煤）の山のように暗く、無数の矢を四方から浴びて全身に傷を負い、血にまみれながらも、花盛りのパラーシャ樹（palāśa）のごとく、かえって壮麗に見えた。ビーマの弓から放たれた矢に戦場で斬り伏せられつつも、彼はなお、大心のパーンダヴァが己の兄弟を討ったことを思い続けた——戦がダルマを崩すただ中で、心は復讐に固く縛られていた。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, even noble qualities can be eclipsed by grief and vengeance: the rākṣasa’s remembrance of his brother’s death fuels his resolve, showing how personal loss perpetuates cycles of violence and moral deterioration.
Sañjaya describes a rākṣasa warrior being pierced on all sides by arrows shot from Bhīma’s bow. Though bleeding heavily, he appears striking—likened to a palāśa tree in bloom—while he continues fighting, consumed by the memory of his brother’s killing by a Pāṇḍava.