Shloka 263
पाण्डवपरिचयः—विराटसभायां प्रकाशनम्
Identification of the Pāṇḍavas in Virāṭa’s Court
दुर्योधनस्योत्तमरत्नचित्रं चिच्छेद पार्थो मुकुर्ट शरेण । फिर अअभश्रवत्थामा
duryodhanasyottamaratnacitraṃ ciccheda pārtho mukuṭaśareṇa |
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: Arjuna (Pārtha) trennte Duryodhanas prächtige, mit Edelsteinen besetzte Krone mit einem einzigen Pfeil ab. Mitten im Kampf war dies eine gezielte Demütigung und zugleich eine maßvolle Demonstration der Meisterschaft—Überlegenheit zu bekunden, ohne sogleich das Leben zu nehmen—und so die Fähigkeit des Kriegers hervorzuheben, Gewalt zu zügeln, selbst wenn er die kṣatriya-Pflicht im Krieg erfüllt.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in righteous warfare, power is ideally governed by restraint: a warrior may demonstrate superiority and uphold duty without needless killing, using skill to check arrogance and signal moral and tactical dominance.
During the battle episode narrated by Vaiśampāyana, Arjuna shoots an arrow that slices off Duryodhana’s ornate, jewel-studded crown—an emphatic battlefield gesture of defeat and humiliation rather than an immediate lethal strike.