Shloka 363

कर्णभीमयुद्धम्

Karna–Bhīma Combat Report

Devanagari script

क्षुरप्रेण सुतीक्ष्णेन चिच्छेदास्प महद्‌ धनु: । इसके बाद झुकी हुई गाँठवाले पाँच बाणोंद्वारा रणक्षेत्रमें द्रोणाचार्यको घायल करके तीखे क्षुरप्रसे उनके विशाल धनुषको काट दिया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | kṣurapreṇa sutīkṣṇena cicchedāspa mahad dhanuḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Mit einem rasiermesserscharfen, überaus spitzen Pfeil hieb er jenen großen Bogen entzwei. Dann verwundete er Dronācārya auf dem Schlachtfeld mit fünf Pfeilen mit gekrümmten Spitzen und schnitt mit einem scharfen kṣurapra dessen gewaltigen Bogen ab.

Word by Word

• क्षुरप्रेण: with a razor(-like weapon/arrowhead)
• क्षुरप्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षुरप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• सुतीक्ष्णेन: very sharp
• सुतीक्ष्णेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुतीक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• चिच्छेद: cut, severed
• चिच्छेद: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अस्म: me
• अस्म: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: —, Accusative, Singular

• महत्: great, huge
• महत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• धनुः: bow
• धनुः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• kṣurapra (razor-edged arrow)
• great bow (mahad dhanuḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a battlefield ethic within kṣatriya-dharma: neutralizing an adversary’s capacity to fight (by cutting the bow) can be a decisive and comparatively restrained tactic, emphasizing strategic duty over indiscriminate killing.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that a warrior uses an extremely sharp razor-edged arrow (kṣurapra) to sever a mighty bow, thereby disarming or weakening the opponent in the ongoing combat.