Shloka 55
त॑ तु संधितमाज्ञाय सायकं घोरदर्शनम् । द्वाभ्यां शराभ्यां हार्दिक्यश्चिच्छेद सशरं धनु:,उस भयानक दिखायी देनेवाले सायकको धनुषपर चढ़ाया हुआ जान कृतवर्माने दो बाणोंद्वारा अभिमन्युके सायकसहित धनुषको काट डाला
taṁ tu sandhitam ājñāya sāyakaṁ ghoradarśanam | dvābhyāṁ śarābhyāṁ hārdikyaś ciccheda saśaraṁ dhanuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Realizing that the dreadful-looking arrow had been set upon the bow, Kṛtavarmā—son of Hṛdīka—swiftly severed the bow together with the fitted arrow by means of two shafts. In the ruthless press of battle, this act shows the warriors’ constant vigilance and the tactical ethic of disabling an opponent’s weapon at the decisive instant rather than allowing a lethal shot to be released.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield vigilance and the tactical principle of neutralizing a threat at the moment it becomes imminent—cutting down the weapon before the deadly shot can be released—reflecting the pragmatic side of kṣatriya conduct in war.
Seeing a fearsome arrow already fitted to the bow, Kṛtavarmā (Hārdikya) shoots two arrows that sever the opponent’s bow along with the mounted arrow, preventing the attack from being launched.