Shloka 59
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
ततो रुक्मरथो राजन् सायकेन दृढाहतः । निषसाद रथोपस्थे कश्मलं चाविशन्महत्,वज्ञसे भी अधिक प्रभावशाली वह महान् बाण रुक्मरथके शरीरपर जा गिरा। राजन! उस बाणसे अत्यन्त घायल होकर रुक्मरथ अपने रथके पिछले भागमें बैठ गया और अत्यन्त मूर्च्छित हो गया
tato rukmaratho rājan sāyakena dṛḍhāhataḥ | niṣasāda rathopasthe kaśmalaṃ cāviśan mahat ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: Pagkaraan, O Hari, si Rukmaratha—matinding tinamaan ng isang palaso—ay lumugmok sa upuan ng kanyang karwahe, at isang malaking panghihina (nakalilitong dalamhati) ang sumaklaw sa kanya. Sa salaysay ng labanan, itinatampok ng taludtod kung gaano kabilis mapipigil ang lakas-mandirigma ng isang tumpak na sandata, at ipinapaalala na ang lakas ng katawan at pagmamataas ay marupok sa harap ng tadhana at mga bunga ng digmaan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the vulnerability of the body and the sudden reversals inherent in war: even a capable warrior can be brought to collapse by a single strike. Ethically, it points to the grave cost of conflict and the humbling of pride, reinforcing the Mahābhārata’s recurring reminder that power and life are unstable amid karma and battlefield duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the warrior Rukmaratha is hit hard by an arrow. Severely wounded, he slumps onto the chariot-seat and is seized by intense faintness or confusion, indicating he is momentarily incapacitated in the fight.