Shloka 48
Adhyāya 65: Dawn Assembly, Makara–Śyena Vyūhas, and Commander Engagements
तस्यावर्जितनागस्य कार्ष्णि: परपुरंजय: । राज्ञो रजतपुड्खेन भल्लेनापाहरच्छिर:
tasyāvarjita-nāgasya kārṣṇiḥ para-puraṁ-jayaḥ | rājño rajata-puḍkhena bhallena apāharac chiraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Kārṣṇi—conqueror of enemy strongholds—severed the head of that king who would not abandon his elephant even in the face of death, striking with a bhalla arrow fitted with silver feathers.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unwavering attachment to a martial stance—here, refusing to abandon one’s war-elephant even when death is imminent—can be read as valor but also becomes a cause of ruin. In the ethical frame of the epic, battlefield prowess operates within kṣatriya-duty, yet the narrative repeatedly warns that pride and fixation harden into self-destructive obstinacy.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment: a warrior called Kārṣṇi, famed for conquering enemy strongholds, strikes a king who would not leave his elephant. With a broad-headed arrow (bhalla) having silver fletching, he severs the king’s head, marking a decisive and brutal turn in the combat.