Shloka 576
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
प्राहिणोद् भरतगश्रेष्ठ श्वेतो रुक्मरथं प्रति । परंतु श्वेत उत्तम अस्त्रोंके ज्ञाता थे। उन्होंने सात भल्ल मारकर अपने निकट आनेसे पहले ही उन शक्तियोंके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दिये। भरतश्रेष्ठ! तत्पश्चात् श्वेतने सबकी कायाको विदीर्ण कर देनेवाले एक बाणको लेकर उसे रुक्मरथकी ओर चलाया
prahīṇod bharataśreṣṭha śveto rukmarathaṃ prati | parantu śveta uttamāstrāṇāṃ jñātā āsīt | sa sapta bhallān āhatya svanikatam āgamanāt pūrvam eva tāḥ śaktīḥ khaṇḍaśaḥ cakāra | bharataśreṣṭha! tataḥ śvetaḥ sarvakāyavidāraṇaṃ bāṇam ādāya rukmarathāya prāhiṇot |
Sanjaya said: O best of the Bharatas, Śveta launched his attack against Rukmaratha. But Śveta was a master of the finest weapons; with seven sharp shafts he shattered those spears into fragments before they could even come near him. Then, O Bharata, taking up a single arrow capable of rending bodies asunder, Śveta sent it straight toward Rukmaratha.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a dharmic battle context, disciplined mastery and calm judgment are portrayed as superior to impulsive aggression: Śveta neutralizes incoming weapons first, then acts decisively, illustrating controlled force guided by skill.
Sanjaya describes Śveta engaging Rukmaratha: Śveta breaks the spears hurled at him by striking them with seven arrows before they reach him, and then he shoots a powerful, body-rending arrow toward Rukmaratha.