Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 51
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
स हत: प्रापतद् राजन् नकुलेन महात्मना । नदीवेगादिवारुग्णस्तीरज: पादपो महान्,महामनस्वी नकुलके हाथसे मारा जाकर सुषेण पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा, मानो नदीके वेगसे कटकर महान् तटवर्ती वृक्ष धराशायी हो गया हो
sa hataḥ prāpatad rājan nakulena mahātmanā | nadīvegād ivārugṇas tīrajaḥ pādapo mahān ||
اے راجن! عظیم النفس نکُل کے ہاتھوں مارا جا کر وہ زمین پر گر پڑا—گویا دریا کے زور سے جڑ سے اکھڑ کر کنارے کا کوئی عظیم درخت ڈھیر ہو گیا ہو۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of worldly strength in war: even the mighty can fall instantly when confronted by superior force and circumstance. Ethically, it reflects the grim inevitability within kṣatriya-duty—combat brings swift, irreversible outcomes, urging sobriety about power and life.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Sūṣeṇa has been struck down by Nakula and collapses to the ground. The fall is compared to a large riverbank tree uprooted by a rushing current, emphasizing the violence and suddenness of the death.
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