Shloka 64
Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
स भीमसेनाभिहतस्तवात्मज: पपात संकम्पितदेहबन्धन: । सुपुष्पितो मारुतवेगताडितो वने यथा शाल इवावघूर्णित:
sa bhīmasenābhihatas tavātmajaḥ papāta saṅkampita-deha-bandhanaḥ | supuṣpito māruta-vega-tāḍito vane yathā śāla ivāvaghūrṇitaḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。「ビーマセーナの一撃を受けて、御身の子は倒れた。身体の枠組みは揺さぶられ、四肢は力を失った。森の中のシャーラ樹が、花を咲かせながらも烈風に打たれてよろめき、ついには地に崩れ落ちるがごとく、彼はぐらりと揺れて地に伏した。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of worldly strength: even one who appears ‘in bloom’ with power and pride can be toppled in an instant. In the ethical frame of the Mahābhārata war, it points to the inexorable consequences of adharma and the sobering cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīmasena has struck Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son, causing him to reel and fall. The fall is compared to a blossoming śāla tree in a forest being battered by strong winds and collapsing.