Санджая
सो ऽपेतवर्मा पुत्रस् ते विरराज भृशं नृप ॥
उत्सृज्य काले राजेन्द्र निर्मोकम् इव पन्नगः ॥
ततो ऽस्य निशितैर् बाणैर् ध्वजं चिच्छेद नाकुलिः ॥
धनुश् चैव महाराज यतमानस्य संयुगे ॥
स छिन्नधन्वा समरे विवर्मा च महारथः ॥
धनुर् अन्यन् महाराज जग्राहारिविदारणम् ॥
ततस् तूर्णं चित्रसेनो नाकुलिं नवभिः शरैः ॥
विव्याध समरे क्रुद्धो भरतानां महारथः ॥
so 'petavarmā putras te virarāja bhṛśaṃ nṛpa ||
utsṛjya kāle rājendra nirmokam iva pannagaḥ ||
tato 'sya niśitair bāṇair dhvajaṃ ciccheda nākuliḥ ||
dhanuś caiva mahārāja yatamānasya saṃyuge ||
sa chinnadhanvā samare vivarmā ca mahārathaḥ ||
dhanur anyan mahārāja jagrāhārividāraṇam ||
tatas tūrṇaṃ citraseno nākuliṃ navabhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
vivyādha samare kruddho bharatānāṃ mahārathaḥ ||
He, with his armor torn off, your son, shone brightly, O king, having shed it in season like a serpent its old skin, O lord of kings. Then the son of Nakula cut down his banner with sharp arrows, and his bow too, O great king, as he strove in the clash. He, with his bow shattered, in battle and without armor, great warrior, took up another bow, a smiter of foes, O great king. Then swiftly Citrasena, enraged, great warrior of the Bharatas, pierced the son of Nakula with nine arrows in battle.
f07394b53322 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
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Stripped of his armor, the young prince "shines like a serpent that has shed its skin": vulnerability is turned into an image of renewal. It is notable that nakedness before mortal danger is presented not as shame but as the shining nakedness of a snake that has changed its covering. The verse teaches that the loss of protection can be both a trial and a release: one who casts off outward support reveals his true strength; and sometimes it is precisely when everything external has been stripped away that a man's inner valor shines brightest.