Shloka 7
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 109 — Karṇa–Bhīma Yuddha and Durmukha’s Fall (कर्णभीमयुद्धम्; दुर्मुखवधः)
तच्छिन्नं सहसा तस्य शिर: कुज्चितमूर्थजम् । सकिरीटं महीं प्राप्प बभौ ज्योतिरिवाम्बरात्,सहसा कटा हुआ घुँघराले बालोंवाला क्षेमधूर्तिका वह मस्तक मुकुटसहित पृथ्वीपर गिरकर आकाशसे टूटे हुए तारेके समान प्रतीत हुआ
tac chinnaṁ sahasā tasya śiraḥ kuñcita-mūrdhajam | sa-kirīṭaṁ mahīṁ prāpya babhau jyotir ivāmbarāt ||
Sañjaya berkata: Seketika, kepala yang terpenggal itu—berambut keriting dan bermahkota—jatuh ke bumi, tampak bersinar laksana meteor yang pecah dari langit.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile—like a meteor falling from the sky—to highlight the impermanence of life and glory. In the ethical frame of the Mahābhārata, such beauty in description does not glorify killing; it intensifies the tragic weight of war and warns how quickly status and life can be cut down.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s head being suddenly severed and falling to the ground with its crown still on, appearing radiant like a celestial light falling from the heavens—an eyewitness-style battlefield image within Droṇa Parva’s intense combat sequences.