Shloka 16
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
“आज सत्यपरायण राजा युधिष्छिर शत्रुहीन हो गये और आज दुर्योधन अपनी देदीप्यमान राजलक्ष्मीसे भ्रष्ट हो गया ।। अद्य श्रुत्वा हत॑ पुत्र धृतराष्ट्रो जनेश्वर: । विह्वल: पतितो भूमौ किल्बिषं प्रतिपद्यताम्
sañjaya uvāca | adya satyaparāyaṇo rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ śatruhīno 'bhavat, adya ca duryodhanaḥ svāṃ dedīpyamānāṃ rājalakṣmīṃ bhraṣṭaḥ | adya śrutvā hataṃ putraṃ dhṛtarāṣṭro janeśvaraḥ vihvalaḥ patito bhūmau kilbiṣaṃ pratipadyatām ||
Disse Sañjaya: “Hoje o rei Yudhiṣṭhira, firme na verdade, ficou livre de inimigos; e hoje Duryodhana caiu de sua fortuna real fulgurante. Hoje, ao ouvir que seu filho foi morto, Dhṛtarāṣṭra—senhor dos homens—tomado de aflição e aturdimento, desaba ao chão, como se fosse levado às consequências de sua própria culpa.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts the stability that comes from commitment to truth (Yudhiṣṭhira becoming ‘enemyless’) with the collapse that follows adharma (Duryodhana losing royal fortune). It also hints that grief and ruin are not merely external events but the ripening of moral fault (kilbiṣa) and its consequences.
Sañjaya reports a decisive reversal: Yudhiṣṭhira’s position is secured while Duryodhana’s sovereignty is shattered. Dhṛtarāṣṭra, upon hearing of his son’s death, is overwhelmed and falls to the ground, portrayed as being overtaken by the burden and outcome of wrongdoing.