Shloka 55
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
ध्रुवं तस्य धनुश्छिन्न॑ रथो वापि महीं गत: । अस्त्राणि वा प्रणष्टानि यथा शंससि मे हतम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | dhruvaṃ tasya dhanuś chinnaṃ ratho vāpi mahīṃ gataḥ | astrāṇi vā praṇaṣṭāni yathā śaṃsasi me hatam |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Pastilah busurnya telah dipatahkan, atau keretanya tenggelam ke dalam bumi, atau senjata-senjatanya lenyap. Hanya di bawah malang yang melumpuhkan seperti itulah—sebagaimana engkau khabarkan kepadaku—dia dapat terbunuh.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how even a mighty warrior’s fall is often attributed to disabling circumstances—loss of weapons, broken equipment, or sudden misfortune—underscoring the role of fate and contingency in war rather than mere personal weakness.
Vaiśampāyana responds to a report of a warrior’s death, reasoning that such a killing would be plausible only if the warrior had first been incapacitated—his bow severed, his chariot stuck or sunk, or his astras rendered unusable.