Shloka 42
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
तद् वर्म हेमविकृतं रत्नचित्रं बभौ पतत् | स्विद्युदभ्र॑ सवितु: श्लिष्टं वातहतं यथा
tad varma hemavikṛtaṃ ratnacitraṃ babhau patat | svidyudabhraṃ savituḥ śliṣṭaṃ vātahataṃ yathā ||
Sañjaya said: As it fell, that cuirass—wrought with gold and inlaid with gems—shone brilliantly, like a cloud charged with lightning that had been clinging to the sun and, struck by the wind, is hurled downward. The image underscores the war’s grim splendor: even the finest protections and royal ornaments are cast down by the force of fate and violence on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights impermanence amid war: even magnificent, gold-and-gem armor cannot ultimately protect; worldly brilliance is brought down by overpowering forces (battle, fate), reminding the listener of the fragility of status and possessions.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s jeweled, gold-ornamented armor falling to the ground, comparing its dazzling descent to a lightning-filled cloud torn from near the sun and driven downward by a gust of wind.