Shloka 21

Devanagari script

तयोस्तु धनुषी चित्रे भल्लाभ्यां श्वेतवाहन: । चिच्छेद समरे तूर्ण ध्वजी च कनकोज्ज्वलौ,तदनन्तर श्वेत घोड़ोंवाले अर्जुनने समराड्णमें दो बाणोंद्वारा उनके दोनों विचित्र धनुषों और सुवर्णके समान प्रकाशित होनेवाले दोनों ध्वजोंको भी तुरंत ही काट डाला

Transliteration

tayos tu dhanuṣī citre bhallābhyāṁ śvetavāhanaḥ | ciccheda samare tūrṇaṁ dhvajī ca kanakojjvalau ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Śvetavāhana (Arjuna), swift in the press of battle, with two sharp bhalla-arrows severed both of their ornate bows; and he also cut down their two standards, shining like gold.

Word by Word

• तयोः: of those two
• तयोः: सम्बन्ध
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: —, षष्ठी, द्विवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• धनुषी: two bows
• धनुषी: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, द्विवचन

• चित्रे: wonderful/variegated
• चित्रे: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, द्विवचन

• भल्लाभ्याम्: with two bhalla-arrows
• भल्लाभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्ल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, द्विवचन

• श्वेतवाहनः: he whose mount is white (Arjuna)
• श्वेतवाहनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वेतवाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चिच्छेद: cut asunder
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• तूर्णम्: quickly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूर्णम्

• ध्वजी: two standards/banners
• ध्वजी: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, द्विवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• कनकोज्ज्वलौ: shining like gold
• कनकोज्ज्वलौ: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कनकोज्ज्वल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, द्विवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna (Śvetavāhana)
• two bows (dhanuṣī)
• two bhalla arrows (bhallābhyām)
• two standards/flags (dhvajī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even within warfare, dharma emphasizes disciplined action: skill used with control to neutralize an opponent’s capacity to harm. Cutting bows and standards highlights strategic restraint and the ethical ideal of ending threat efficiently rather than indulging in needless cruelty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna, identified by his white horses, rapidly shoots two bhalla arrows and severs the two opponents’ ornate bows; he also fells their two gold-bright standards, symbolically breaking their fighting power and battlefield prestige.