Shloka 33

Devanagari script

कौसल्यस्य धनुश्वापि पुनश्चिच्छेद फाल्गुनि:

Transliteration

kausalyasya dhanuṣvāpi punaś ciccheda phālguṇiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Phālguni (Arjuna) once again cut down Kausalya’s bow as well—showing, in the midst of battle, the decisive superiority of disciplined skill over mere possession of weapons.

Word by Word

• कौसल्यस्य: of Kausalyā
• कौसल्यस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौसल्या
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• धनुषि: in/on the bow
• धनुषि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• चिच्छेद: cut/broke
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• फाल्गुनिः: Phālguni (Arjuna)
• फाल्गुनिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: फाल्गुनि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Phālguni (Arjuna)
• Kausalya
• bow (dhanuḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In a dharmic war narrative, mastery, focus, and disciplined action (yuddha-kauśala) determine outcomes more than mere armament; power is shown through controlled, precise force rather than excess.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Arjuna (Phālguni) again severed Kausalya’s bow, disabling his opponent’s ability to fight effectively and asserting battlefield dominance through superior archery.