Mahabharata 7.141.8 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 141, Shloka 8
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
ललाटस्थैस्ततो बाणै: सूतपुत्रो व्यरोचत । नीलोत्पलमयीं मालां धारयन् वै यथा पुरा
lalāṭasthais tato bāṇaiḥ sūtaputro vyarocata | nīlotpalamayīṃ mālāṃ dhārayan vai yathā purā ||
پھر پیشانی میں گڑے ہوئے ان تیروں سے سوت پتر یوں دمک اٹھا، جیسے وہ پہلے اپنے ماتھے پر نیلے کنولوں کی مالا دھارے ہوئے شوبھا پاتا تھا۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness under suffering: even when struck and wounded, a warrior’s inner resolve can remain luminous. It also points to the ethical tragedy of war, where what resembles ornamentation is actually injury—beauty and violence become unsettlingly intertwined.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa (called ‘sūtaputra’) after arrows have lodged in his forehead. Despite the wounds, he appears radiant, and the arrows are poetically compared to the earlier beauty of a blue-lotus garland he once wore on his brow.
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