Shloka 7
Karṇa’s Camp-Council Discourse: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament, Sañjaya’s Counsel, and Karṇa’s Request for Śalya
Book 8, Chapter 22
समार्गणगुणं चापं छित्त्वा तस्यप महानसि: । निपपात ततो भूमौ च्युत: सर्प इवाम्बरात्,उनकी वह लंबी तलवार दुःशासनके धनुष, बाण और प्रत्यंचाकों काटकर आकाशसे भ्रष्ट हुए सर्पकी भाँति वहाँ पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ी
samārgaṇaguṇaṃ cāpaṃ chittvā tasya mahān asiḥ | nipapāta tato bhūmau cyutaḥ sarpa ivāmbarāt ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Nachdem das mächtige Schwert seinen gut gespannten Bogen samt Zubehör zerschnitten hatte, fiel es daraufhin zur Erde, wie eine Schlange, die aus dem Himmel herabstürzt.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the ethics of kṣatriya warfare, victory is often achieved by neutralizing the opponent’s capacity to fight; the verse highlights decisive skill—disarming rather than merely striking—showing controlled, purposeful force within the battlefield code.
Sañjaya describes a combat moment where a mighty sword severs an opponent’s well-strung bow (and its fittings). The sword then drops to the ground, compared poetically to a serpent falling from the sky.