Shloka 10
Kurukṣetra–Samantapañcaka Māhātmya: King Kuru’s Ploughing and Indra’s Boon (प्रजापतेरुत्तरवेदिः समन्तपञ्चकं)
सा नाशकद् यदा गन्तुं पदात् पदमपि स्वयम्
sā nāśakad yadā gantuṃ padāt padam api svayam
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Apabila dia tidak lagi mampu bergerak ke hadapan walau selangkah pun dengan kekuatannya sendiri, nyata terserlah ketidakberdayaannya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the vulnerability of embodied beings: even determination can be halted by physical collapse. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical landscape, such moments invite compassion and remind readers that the costs of war extend beyond victory and defeat into exhaustion, grief, and helplessness.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a woman (referred to simply as “she”) reaches a point where she cannot proceed even one step by herself, indicating extreme fatigue or incapacity within the ongoing events of Śalya-parvan.