Shloka 15
अश्वमेधीयस्य हयस्य दक्षिणापश्चिमगमनम् — The Sacrificial Horse’s Southern and Western Circuit
तेषां तु तरसा पार्थस्तत्रैव परिधावताम् | प्रजहारोत्तमाड़्ानि भल््लै: संनतपर्वभि:,वहीं चक्कर काटनेवाले बहुत-से सैनिकोंके मस्तक अर्जुनने झुकी हुई गाँठवाले भल्लोंद्वारा वेगपूर्वक काट लिया
teṣāṃ tu tarasā pārthas tatraiva paridhāvatām | prajahārottamāṅgāni bhallaiḥ saṃnata-parvabhiḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: As those warriors wheeled about and rushed here and there on the field, Pārtha (Arjuna), with swift force, struck them down on the spot—severing their heads with bhalla-arrows whose joints were bent.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects kṣatriya-dharma in its stark form: when battle is undertaken for a sanctioned cause, the warrior must act decisively and effectively. Ethical restraint is implied not as refusal to fight, but as disciplined action aligned with duty rather than personal rage or cruelty.
As many fighters move about rapidly on the battlefield, Arjuna (Pārtha) attacks with great speed and, using sharp bhalla-arrows described as having bent joints/knots, severs the heads of those opponents on the spot.