Shloka 17
यच्चास्य बाणविकृतं धनूंषि च विशाम्पते । सर्व चिच्छेद दुर्धर्षो गदां खड्गं च वर्जयन्
yaccāsya bāṇavikṛtaṃ dhanūṃṣi ca viśāmpate | sarvaṃ ciccheda durdharṣo gadāṃ khaḍgaṃ ca varjayan ||
قال سَنْجَايَا: «يا سيّدَ الناس، كلُّ ما كان من أقواسه قد أفسدته السهام وشوّهته—فقد قطّعه ذلك المحارب الذي لا يُقاوَم قطعًا تامًّا؛ غير أنه تعمّد أن يُبقي على الدبّوس (المِقْمَعَة) والسيف.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violence, the verse highlights deliberate restraint: the warrior destroys what is tactically necessary (bows) while sparing other weapons (mace and sword), suggesting controlled force rather than indiscriminate destruction.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that an “irresistible” fighter is cutting apart the opponent’s bows, including those already warped by arrows, but intentionally does not cut the opponent’s mace and sword.