Shloka 9
विराटसभायां पाण्डवानां प्रवेशः — Arjuna’s Encomium of Yudhiṣṭhira in Virāṭa’s Court
शरप्रतप्त: स तु नागराज: प्रवेषिताड़ो व्यथितान्तरात्मा । संसीदमानो निपपात मह्ं वज्राहतं शुड्रमिवाचलस्यथ,वह गजराज अर्जुनके बाणसे संतप्त हो उठा। उसकी अन्तरात्मा व्यथित हो गयी और सारा शरीर काँपने लगा। जैसे वज्रका मारा हुआ पर्वतशिखर ढह जाता है, उसी प्रकार वह नागराज शिथिल होकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
śaraprataptaḥ sa tu nāgarājaḥ praveśitāḍyo vyathitāntarātmā | saṃsīdamāno nipapāta mahīṃ vajrāhataṃ śṛṅgam ivācalasya ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Disengat panas oleh anak-anak panah, raja segala gajah itu—perkasa laksana raja nāga—diserang derita hingga ke lubuk jiwa. Tenaganya luluh, semangatnya tergoncang, lalu ia rebah ke bumi, seperti puncak gunung yang dipanah petir hingga runtuh dan jatuh. Adegan ini menegaskan akibat keras kuasa perang: bahkan yang gagah pun ditundukkan apabila kekerasan bertemu kemahiran yang lebih unggul.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitability of consequence in battle: physical might and royal stature do not protect one from collapse when struck by superior force. It also uses a vivid simile to remind the listener that even what seems immovable (a mountain peak) can fall—an ethical reflection on the fragility of power amid violence.
The narrator describes a powerful beast (called nāgarāja, ‘lord among nāgas/elephants’) being burned and tormented by arrows, becoming inwardly distressed, losing strength, and falling to the ground—compared to a mountain summit shattered by a thunderbolt.