Shloka 49
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 58 — Arjuna’s Arrow-Storm and Relief of Bhīmasena
त॑ मोचय महाबाहो पार्षतं शत्रुकर्शन । द्रौणेरास्यमनुप्राप्तं मृत्योरास्यगतं यथा,“महाबाहो! शत्रुसूदन! जैसे कोई मौतके मुखमें पड़ गया हो, उसी प्रकार अश्वत्थामाके मुखमें पहुँचे हुए धृष्टद्युम्मको छुड़ाओ'
taṁ mocaya mahābāho pārṣataṁ śatrukarśana | drauṇer āsyam anuprāptaṁ mṛtyor āsyagataṁ yathā ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “O makapangyarihang may bisig, O pandurog ng mga kaaway, iligtas mo ang anak ni Pṛṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna), na napasok na sa mismong bibig ng anak ni Droṇa (Aśvatthāmā)—na para bang pumasok siya sa mga panga ng Kamatayan mismo.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior’s dharma under extreme peril: when an ally is on the brink of destruction, one must act decisively to protect him. The ‘mouth of Death’ simile frames the moment as morally urgent and existential, emphasizing courage and responsibility amid the chaos of war.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield crisis: Dhṛṣṭadyumna has come within Aśvatthāmā’s deadly reach. Addressing a mighty warrior (contextually a leading Pāṇḍava champion), Sañjaya urges immediate intervention to pull Dhṛṣṭadyumna away from near-certain death.