Shloka 14
नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च
Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault
अथास्य सशरं चापं मुष्टिदेशेडच्छिनत् तदा । ध्वजं च त्वरितं छित्त्वा रथाद् भूमावपातयत्
athāsya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ muṣṭideśe 'cchinat tadā | dhvajaṃ ca tvaritaṃ chittvā rathād bhūmāv apātayat ||
Sañjaya sprach: Da, in eben diesem Augenblick, hieb er ihm den Bogen samt aufgelegtem Pfeil an der Griffstelle ab. Und rasch zerschnitt er auch das Banner, sodass es vom Wagen zu Boden fiel.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, technical mastery can decisively neutralize an opponent—disarming him and toppling his banner (a symbol of status and morale). Ethically, it reflects the epic’s tension: kṣatriya-duty demands effectiveness in battle, even when it entails humiliating or crippling the enemy’s capacity to fight.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s rapid strike: he severs the opponent’s bow at the very grip while it still bears an arrow, and then cuts down the chariot’s banner, making it fall to the ground—an act that both disables and symbolically diminishes the foe.