Shloka 49
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
तत्पश्चात् प्रतापी द्रोणपुत्रने होशमें आकर कुपित हो समरभूमिमें सात्यकिको नाराचसे घायल कर दिया ।।
śaineyaṃ sa tu nirbhidya prāviśad dharaṇītalam | vasantakāle balavān bilaṃ sarpaśiśur yathā ||
三阇耶说道：其后，德罗那之子威势凛然，既已清醒，便在战场上怒而以那罗遮箭射伤萨底耶迦（舍因尼耶）。那支箭贯穿舍因尼耶，随即没入大地，恰如春时强健的小蛇滑入穴中。此喻凸显战争冷酷而无情的推进：一念嗔怒所驱的技艺之举，伤人而逝，只把后果留在身后。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial prowess, when driven by anger, produces swift harm and then ‘disappears’ like an arrow sinking into the earth—yet the moral weight remains. It invites reflection on restraint (dama) and responsibility in the exercise of power, even within kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya describes an arrow that has pierced Śaineya (Sātyaki) and then plunged into the ground. The poet reinforces the action with a simile: like a strong young serpent entering its burrow in spring.