साहदेविस् तु तं ज्ञात्वा भ्रातृभिर् विमुखीकृतम् ॥
क्षुरप्रेण शिरो राजन् निचकर्त महामनाः ॥
तच्छिरो न्यपतद् भूमौ तपनीयविभूषितम् ॥
भ्राजयन्तं रणोद्देशं बालसूर्यसमप्रभम् ॥
सौमदत्तेः शिरो दृष्ट्वा निपतत् तन् महात्मनः ॥
वित्रस्तास् तावका राजन् प्रदुद्रुवुर् अनेकधा ॥
sāhadevis tu taṃ jñātvā bhrātṛbhir vimukhīkṛtam ||
kṣurapreṇa śiro rājan nicakarta mahāmanāḥ ||
tacchiro nyapatad bhūmau tapanīyavibhūṣitam ||
bhrājayantaṃ raṇoddeśaṃ bālasūryasamaprabham ||
saumadatteḥ śiro dṛṣṭvā nipatat tan mahātmanaḥ ||
vitrastās tāvakā rājan pradudruvur anekadhā ||
And the son of Sahadeva, the great-souled one, recognizing him now turned back by his brothers, cut off his head with a razor-tipped arrow, O king. That head, adorned with gold, fell to the ground, illumining the field of battle with a radiance like the young sun. Seeing the head of the great-souled son of Somadatta falling, your terrified men, O king, fled in every direction.
508c0cfed607 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:02:22 PM UTC
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Once more the severed head falls "bālasūryasamaprabham", shining like the rising sun: a beauty-in-terror attends the death of every hero. The fall of one formidable warrior sends many into flight—"vitrastāḥ… pradudruvuḥ". It is telling that the spirit of an army breaks at the sight of its fighter's death. The verse teaches that in war it is not strength alone that decides, but the state of the spirit: the sight of a fallen leader sows terror, and a terrified heart routs faster than any weapon.