Shloka 38
सुपुष्पितो वृक्षवरो5तिकायो वातेरित: शाल इवाद्रिशृज्भात् । अर्जुनके बाणोंसे आहत हो बाहु और मस्तकसे रहित होकर वृषसेन उसी प्रकार रथसे नीचे पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा, जैसे सुन्दर फूलोंसे भरा हुआ श्रेष्ठ एवं विशाल शालवृक्ष हवाके झोंके खाकर पर्वतशिखरसे नीचे जा गिरा हो ।।
supūṣpito vṛkṣavaro'tikāyo vāteritaḥ śāla ivādriśṛṅgāt | arjunakair bāṇair āhato bāhu-mastaka-rahitaḥ vṛṣasenaḥ tathā rathād avaniṃ papāta, yathā sundara-puṣpa-bhṛtaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ viśālaḥ śāla-vṛkṣo vāyu-vegena parvata-śikhār nīcair nipatet || samprekṣya bāṇābhihataṃ patantaṃ rathāt sutaṃ sūtajaḥ kṣipra-kārī ||
三阇耶说道：被阿周那的箭矢射中，弗利沙塞那——臂断首落——从战车上坠下，倒在大地上，宛如一株高大雄伟、繁花满枝的娑罗树，被山巅一阵疾风吹倒而倾覆。见自己的儿子中箭坠车，那车夫之子（迦尔那）素来行事迅捷，立刻作出回应。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark moral weight of war: even the mighty fall suddenly, and victory is inseparable from loss. The vivid simile of a flowering tree collapsing highlights impermanence and the tragic cost borne by families, reminding readers that martial prowess does not shield one from the consequences of violence.
Arjuna’s arrows strike Vṛṣasena so severely that he falls from his chariot, compared to a great flowering śāla tree blown down from a mountain peak. Karna, described as swift to act, sees his son falling and immediately prepares to respond.