Shloka 42
तद् वर्म हेमविकृतं रत्नचित्रं बभौ पतत् | स्विद्युदभ्र॑ सवितु: श्लिष्टं वातहतं यथा,उनका वह सुवर्णभूषित रत्नजटित कवच गिरते समय ऐसी शोभा पा रहा था, मानो सूर्यसे सटा हुआ बिजलीसहित बादल वायुका आघात पाकर नीचे गिर रहा हो
tad varma hemavikṛtaṃ ratnacitraṃ babhau patat | svidyudabhraṃ savituḥ śliṣṭaṃ vātahataṃ yathā ||
Sañjaya said: As it fell, that cuirass—wrought with gold and inlaid with gems—shone brilliantly, like a cloud charged with lightning that had been clinging to the sun and, struck by the wind, is hurled downward. The image underscores the war’s grim splendor: even the finest protections and royal ornaments are cast down by the force of fate and violence on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights impermanence amid war: even magnificent, gold-and-gem armor cannot ultimately protect; worldly brilliance is brought down by overpowering forces (battle, fate), reminding the listener of the fragility of status and possessions.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s jeweled, gold-ornamented armor falling to the ground, comparing its dazzling descent to a lightning-filled cloud torn from near the sun and driven downward by a gust of wind.