Shloka 14
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
क्षते क्षारं स हि ददौ पाण्डवस्य महात्मन: । पार्थोडपि भृशसंविद्धो ध्वजयष्टिं समाश्रित:,उसने इस प्रहारद्वारा महामना पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनके घावपर नमक छिड़क दिया। अर्जुन भी अत्यन्त घायल होकर ध्वज-दण्डके सहारे टिक गये
kṣate kṣāraṃ sa hi dadau pāṇḍavasya mahātmanaḥ | pārtho 'pi bhṛśa-saṃviddho dhvaja-yaṣṭiṃ samāśritaḥ ||
क्षते क्षारं स हि ददौ पाण्डवस्य महात्मनः । पार्थोऽपि भृशसंविद्धो ध्वजयष्टिं समाश्रितः ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights heroic endurance in dharma-yuddha: even when grievously wounded, Arjuna does not collapse in spirit; the image of 'salt on a wound' underscores how conflict can intensify suffering, yet duty and resolve sustain the warrior.
Sañjaya reports that an enemy’s strike worsens Arjuna’s condition—likened to rubbing salt into a wound. Arjuna, badly hurt, steadies himself by leaning on the pole of his banner, indicating both physical strain and continued presence on the battlefield.