Shloka 20
स विचर्मा महाराज खड्गपाणिरुपाद्रवत् । कृपस्य वशमापत्नो मृत्योरास्यमिवातुर:
sa vicarmā mahārāja khaḍgapāṇir upādravat | kṛpasya vaśam āpanno mṛtyor āsyam ivāturaḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: “Tâu Đại vương, Śikhaṇḍin—khiên đã bị chém đứt—chỉ còn cầm gươm trong tay mà lao tới. Đã rơi vào thế bị Kṛpa khống chế, chàng xông lên như kẻ bệnh nặng đã chạm đến ngay miệng Thần Chết.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tragic momentum of war: courage can persist even when one is disadvantaged, but bravery without protection or strategic advantage may become a rush toward death. The simile of a sick man entering Death’s mouth stresses human vulnerability and the moral bleakness of battlefield inevitability.
Śikhaṇḍin’s shield has been cut down; he continues the fight with only a sword in hand and charges toward Kṛpācārya. Sañjaya describes Śikhaṇḍin as being under Kṛpa’s dominance, likening his advance to a doomed, helpless approach to Death itself.