Shloka 23
द्रोणपुत्रस्याग्नेयास्त्रप्रयोगः — अर्जुनस्य ब्राह्मास्त्रप्रतिघातः — व्यासोपदेशः
Aśvatthāmā’s Agneyāstra, Arjuna’s Brāhmāstra Counter, and Vyāsa’s Instruction
तच्छिरो न््यपतद् भूमौ संदष्टौष्ठपुर्ट रणे । महावातसमुद्धूतं पकक्वं तालफलं यथा,रणभूमिमें उस मस्तकने अपने ओठको दाँतोंसे दबा रखा था। वह आँधीके द्वारा गिराये हुए पके ताल-फलके समान पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
tacchiro nyapatad bhūmau saṃdaṣṭauṣṭhapūṭa raṇe | mahāvātasamuddhūtaṃ pakvaṃ tālaphalaṃ yathā ||
సంజయుడు పలికెను—రణమధ్యంలో ఆ ఛిన్న శిరస్సు పెదవులను పళ్లతో బిగించి పట్టుకున్నట్లుగా భూమిపై పడిపోయింది; మహావాతం ఊదిపారేసిన పక్వ తాళఫలంలా।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of embodied life and the inexorable fall that awaits even the steadfast in war. The clenched lips suggest grim resolve or suppressed pain, yet the simile of a ripe fruit blown down by wind stresses that death can come as an overpowering natural force, reminding the listener of impermanence and the ethical weight of battlefield actions.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s head being severed and dropping to the ground during combat. He uses a vivid comparison: it falls like a ripe palmyra fruit dislodged by a strong gust, intensifying the scene’s realism and the terror of the battlefield.