Shloka 30
धनुरस्याच्छिनत् तूर्ण हस्तावापं च वीर्यवान् । रथं च शकलीकर्तु सव्यसाची प्रचक्रमे,तत्पश्चात् पराक्रमी सव्यसाची अर्जुनने तुरंत ही उसके धनुष और दस्तानेको काट दिया और रथको टूक-टूक करना आरम्भ किया
dhanur asyācchinat tūrṇaṃ hastāv āpaṃ ca vīryavān | rathaṃ ca śakalīkartuṃ savyasācī pracakrame | tatpaścāt parākrāmī savyasācī arjunaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The mighty Arjuna, famed as Savyasācī, swiftly cut down his opponent’s bow and also struck off his hand-guards; then he set about shattering the chariot into pieces. The scene underscores the ruthless efficiency of battlefield skill—where prowess is used to disable an enemy’s capacity to fight, even as the war’s moral weight presses upon every act.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: mastery and decisiveness are used to neutralize an opponent’s fighting capacity. It implicitly raises the question of proportional force—skill employed not merely to wound, but to disarm and end resistance swiftly within the harsh framework of dharma-yuddha.
Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna (Savyasācī) rapidly severs the enemy’s bow and protective hand-guards, then begins to smash the chariot to pieces—an intensification of combat aimed at stripping the opponent of weapons, protection, and mobility.