Shloka 28
Ulūpī–Citravāhinī Saṃvāda: Dhanaṃjaya-patana and Prāya-threat
तस्य पार्थ: शरैंदिव्यैर्ध्वजं हेमपरिष्कृतम् । सुवर्णतालप्रतिमं क्षुरेणापाहरद् रथात्
tasya pārthaḥ śaraiḥ divyaiḥ dhvajaṃ hemapariṣkṛtam | suvarṇatālapratimaṃ kṣureṇāpāharad rathāt, rājan |
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: Dann trennte Pārtha (Arjuna) mit seinen göttlichen Pfeilen vom Wagen das goldgeschmückte Banner — hoch wie eine goldene Palmyrapalme — und hieb es mit einem rasiermesserscharfen kṣura-Geschoss herab, o König. Im selben schnellen Angriff streckte er auch die kraftvollen, hochmütigen Pferde des Gegners nieder.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined kṣatriya conduct in battle: decisive action aimed at disabling the enemy’s capacity to fight (standard and horses as symbols of morale and mobility), reflecting strategic restraint rather than chaotic violence.
Arjuna, in combat, uses a razor-edged divine missile to cut down the opponent’s gold-adorned banner from the chariot, and he also kills the opponent’s powerful horses, thereby crippling the chariot’s effectiveness.