Mahabharata (Gita Press) 7.49.18 - Drona Parva, Adhyaya 49, Shloka 18

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall

Devanagari script

उपप्लुतं यथा सोम॑ संशुष्कमिव सागरम्‌ | पूर्णचन्द्रा भवदनं काकपक्षवृताक्षिकम्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | upaplutam yathā somaṃ saṃśuṣkam iva sāgaram | pūrṇacandrā-bhavadanam kākapakṣa-vṛtākṣikam ||

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า ดุจจันทร์ถูกคราส ดุจมหาสมุทรเหือดแห้ง—อภิมันยุ ผู้มีพักตร์ดุจพระจันทร์เพ็ญ นอนล้มอยู่บนพื้น; ดวงตาถูกปอยผมหนาทึบ (กากปักษะ) ปกคลุม. ครั้นล้อมวีรบุรุษนั้นไว้ทุกด้าน เหล่านักรบเการวะก็เปล่งนาทสิงห์ซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่าด้วยชัยชนะ—ประหนึ่งไฟที่เผาป่าในฤดูร้อนดับลงแล้ว ประหนึ่งลมที่หักกิ่งไม้สงบลงแล้ว ประหนึ่งอาทิตย์ที่เผาโลกได้ลับไปแล้ว.

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Word by Word

• उपप्लुतम्: flooded, overwhelmed
• उपप्लुतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपप्लुत (उप+प्लु धातु; कृदन्त)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यथा: as, just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• सोमम्: the Moon
• सोमम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• संशुष्कम्: completely dried up
• संशुष्कम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संशुष्क (सम्+शुष्क)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• सागरम्: ocean
• सागरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पूर्णचन्द्रा: full-moon (like)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्णचन्द्र
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भवदनम्: having a face (like ...); face-possessing
• भवदनम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भवदन (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समास; भावदन = 'whose face is')
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• काकपक्षवृताक्षिकम्: whose eyes are covered by side-locks (kākapakṣa)
• काकपक्षवृताक्षिकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काकपक्ष-वृत-अक्षि (समास; वृत = √वृ 'to cover' कृदन्त)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Abhimanyu
• Kaurava army (Kaurava-senā)
• Moon (Soma)
• Ocean (Sāgara)
• Sun (Sūrya, implied in simile)
• Wind (Vāyu, implied in simile)
• Eclipse (Grahaṇa, implied in simile)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse heightens the moral contrast between Abhimanyu’s luminous heroism and the Kauravas’ celebratory roar after encircling and killing him. It implicitly critiques triumph that ignores dharma—victory gained through collective overpowering of a lone, exhausted warrior—by framing the scene as a cosmic dimming (eclipse, dried ocean), not a noble conquest.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Abhimanyu has devastated the Kaurava forces, he is finally brought down and lies on the battlefield. His hair falls over his eyes. The Kaurava warriors surround his body and repeatedly shout lion-roars in jubilation, while the narrator uses a chain of similes (quenched forest-fire, stilled wind, setting sun, eclipsed moon, dried sea) to convey the sudden, catastrophic stillness after his fall.