Shloka 31
अथैनं पज्चविंशत्या सायकानां समार्पयत् । अवप्लुत्य रथाच्चैद्यो गदामादाय सत्वर:
athainaṁ pañcaviṁśatyā sāyakānāṁ samārpayat | avaplutya rathāc caidyo gadām ādāya satvaraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then he struck him with a volley of twenty-five arrows. Leaping down from his chariot, the king of Cedi swiftly seized his mace—shifting from missile warfare to close combat in the heat of battle, where courage and resolve are tested as much as skill.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos in war: when circumstances shift, a warrior adapts—moving from ranged weapons to hand-to-hand combat—showing resolve, courage, and readiness to meet danger directly.
After striking his opponent with twenty-five arrows, the Cedi warrior jumps down from his chariot and quickly takes up a mace, signaling an immediate transition from chariot-archery to close-quarters fighting.