Shloka 573
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
निपतन्तमपश्याम गिरिशृज्भमिवाहतम् । महात्मा पाण्डुपुत्रके द्वारा कटकर गिरते हुए उस ध्वजको हमलोगोंने वज्ञजके आघातसे टूटकर नीचे गिरनेवाले पर्वत-शिखरके समान देखा था
sañjaya uvāca | nipatantam apaśyāma giriśṛṅgam ivāhatam |
サンジャヤは語った――我らはそれが落ちてゆくのを見た。まるで打ち砕かれた山の峰のように。かくして、根元を断たれたパーンドゥの子の大旗は、傾き、崩れ、下へと落ちていった。それは強烈な一撃で砕け散る岩峰に似ていた。この比喩は、戦においては、運命と力が交わるとき、最も誇らしげな権勢の標でさえ脆くなることを示している。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark simile—an emblem (the banner) collapsing like a struck mountain-peak—to highlight the impermanence of martial glory and the vulnerability of even the greatest warriors’ symbols amid the destructive momentum of war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the banner/standard associated with a Pāṇḍava warrior was cut at its base and seen falling, its descent compared to a mountain-peak brought down by a powerful удар (blow).