Shloka 9
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
शल्यं शरणदं शूरं पश्येमं वृष्णिनन्दन । शयानं वीरशयने शरैविशकलीकृतम्,वृष्णिनन्दन! देखो, ये दूसरोंको शरण देनेवाले शूरवीर शल्य बाणोंसे छिन्न-भिन्न होकर वीरशय्यापर सो रहे हैं
śalyaṁ śaraṇadaṁ śūraṁ paśyemaṁ vṛṣṇinandana | śayānaṁ vīraśayane śaraiś chinnabhinnīkṛtam ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi hậu duệ nhà Vṛṣṇi, hãy nhìn Śalya này—vị dũng sĩ từng ban nơi nương tựa cho người khác—nay nằm trên ‘giường của chiến binh’, thân thể bị mũi tên xé nát.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of worldly power and reputation: even a renowned protector (śaraṇada) can be brought low by the consequences of war. It invites ethical reflection on violence and the sorrow that follows, a key mood of the Strī Parva.
Vaiśaṃpāyana points out Śalya’s fallen body to Vṛṣṇinandana (Kṛṣṇa), describing him lying on the battlefield as on a ‘hero’s bed,’ pierced and mangled by arrows—an image of the war’s aftermath.