Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)
ततः स पतितो भूमौ नाराचेन समाहतः । वज्नेण च यथा शज्र पर्वतस्येव दीर्यत:,नाराचसे घायल हुआ सुरथ वज्से विदीर्ण हुए पर्वतके शिखरकी भाँति पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
tataḥ sa patito bhūmau nārācena samāhataḥ | vajreṇa ca yathā śṛṅgaṁ parvatasyeva dīryataḥ ||
Санджая сказал: Тогда он, тяжко поражённый стрелой «нарача», рухнул на землю — как горная вершина, расколотая молнией. Образ подчёркивает жестокую окончательность войны: даже могучие падают в одно мгновение, когда насилие вырывается на волю.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the fragility of embodied power in war: strength and status can collapse instantly under violent force. Ethically, it serves as a stark reminder of the destructive consequences of battle and the impermanence of worldly might.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior is struck by a nārāca arrow and falls to the earth. The fall is compared to a mountain summit being split by a thunderbolt, emphasizing the severity of the blow and the dramatic collapse.