Shloka 57
Droṇa’s Ācārya-Dakṣiṇā: Capture of Drupada and Division of Pāñcāla (द्रोण-आचार्यदक्षिणा)
ततो<स्य दश्यमानस्य तद् विषं कालकूटकम् | हतं सर्पविषेणैव स्थावरं जड़मेन तु,उनके द्वारा डँसे जानेसे कालकूट विषका प्रभाव नष्ट हो गया। सर्पोंके जंगम विषने खाये हुए स्थावर विषको हर लिया
tato 'sya daśyamānasya tad viṣaṃ kālakūṭakam | hataṃ sarpaviṣaiṇāiva sthāvaraṃ jaḍamena tu |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Ketika dia sedang digigit, racun Kālakūṭa dalam dirinya pun dineutralkan. Bisa yang “bergerak” daripada ular mengatasi dan memusnahkan racun yang “tetap” dan beku—maka kesan maut itu lenyap oleh penawar berupa bisa yang lebih kuat.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how consequences can be altered by countervailing forces: even a deadly condition may be checked by an opposing agency. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring motif that outcomes arise from complex interactions rather than a single cause.
A person who had been affected by the terrible Kālakūṭa poison is then bitten by snakes; their venom counteracts and destroys the earlier poison, removing its effect.