Shloka 52
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
ततः क्रुद्धों महेष्वास: सप्तभल्लै: सुतेजनै: । धनूंषि तेषामाच्छिद्य ममर्द पृतनापति:,उस समय महान धनुर्धर सेनापति श्वेतने कुपित होकर तेज किये हुए भलल नामक सात बाणोंद्वारा उन सातों रथियोंके धनुष काटकर उनके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दिये
tataḥ kruddho maheṣvāsaḥ saptabhallaiḥ sutejanaiḥ | dhanūṃṣi teṣām ācchidya mamarda pṛtanāpatiḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Da zerschnitt Śveta, der große Bogenschütze und Heerführer, im Zorn mit sieben scharf geschliffenen Bhalla-Pfeilen die Bögen jener Krieger und zermalmte ihre Kampfkraft.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where superior skill is shown through precise, goal-directed action—disarming by cutting bows—demonstrating controlled application of force within kṣatriya-dharma rather than mere indiscriminate killing.
Sañjaya reports that an enraged great archer, the army commander, uses seven razor-sharp bhalla arrows to sever the bows of the opposing warriors, thereby neutralizing them and asserting dominance in the fight.