Shloka 28
दण्डधारवधः | The Slaying of Daṇḍadhāra
एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु रथादाप्लुत्य भारत | शक्ति चिक्षेप चित्राय स्वर्णदण्डामलंकृताम्,भारत! इसी बीचमें रथसे कूदकर प्रतिविन्ध्यने चित्रपर एक सुवर्णमय दण्डवाली सुसज्जित शक्ति चलायी
etasminn eva kāle tu rathād āplutya bhārata | śaktiṃ cikṣepa citrāya svarṇadaṇḍām alaṅkṛtām ||
Sañjaya sprach: In eben diesem Augenblick, o Bhārata, sprang Prativindhya vom Wagen und schleuderte gegen Citra eine prächtige śakti, geschmückt mit goldenem Schaft.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not preach directly; it illustrates the battlefield reality where resolve and prowess manifest as immediate action. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: kṣatriya duty and valor operate within a tragic arena where excellence in arms still produces suffering.
Sañjaya reports that, at that instant, a warrior jumps down from his chariot and hurls a decorated śakti (javelin) at a figure named Citra, emphasizing the sudden escalation and close-quarters intensity of the fight.