Shloka 14
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 109 — Karṇa–Bhīma Yuddha and Durmukha’s Fall (कर्णभीमयुद्धम्; दुर्मुखवधः)
वीरधन्वा ततः क्रुद्धो धृष्टकेतो: शरासनम् | द्विधा चिच्छेद भल्लेन प्रहसन्निव भारत,भरतनन्दन! तत्पश्चात् वीरधन्वाने कुपित होकर हँसते हुए-से ही एक भल्लद्वारा धृष्टकेतुके धनुषके दो टुकड़े कर दिये
vīradhanvas tataḥ kruddho dhṛṣṭaketoḥ śarāsanam | dvidhā ciccheda bhallena prahasann iva bhārata bharatanandana ||
Sañjaya sprach: Dann zerschnitt Vīradhanvas, vom Zorn erfasst, Dhṛṣṭaketus Bogen mit einem Bhalla-Pfeil in zwei Teile, als lache er dabei—o Bhārata, o Wonne der Bharatas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked anger and contempt can accompany prowess in war; ethically, it invites reflection on the warrior’s discipline—skill should be governed by restraint, even amid legitimate combat.
Vīradhanvas, provoked and furious, strikes with a bhalla-arrow and cleanly severs Dhṛṣṭaketu’s bow into two, doing so with an air of derisive confidence while Sañjaya reports the event to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.