Shloka 122
स तु गाण्डीवनिर्मुक्त: शर: श्येन इवाशुग: । छित्त्वा शिर: सिन्धुपतेरुत्पपात विहायसम्,गाण्डीव धनुषसे छूटा हुआ वह शीघ्रगामी बाण सिंधुराजका सिर काटकर बाजपक्षीके समान उसे आकाशमें ले उड़ा
sa tu gāṇḍīva-nirmuktaḥ śaraḥ śyena ivāśugaḥ | chittvā śiraḥ sindhupater utpapāta vihāyasam ||
Sañjaya said: The arrow released from Gāṇḍīva, swift as a hawk in flight, severed the head of the lord of Sindhu and then sprang up into the sky, bearing it away.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inexorable nature of action and consequence in the dharmic framework of war: once a decisive act is undertaken with full force and intent, its outcome becomes irreversible, reflecting both human agency (skill, resolve) and the larger moral-causal order governing the battlefield.
Sañjaya describes a swift arrow shot from Arjuna’s bow Gāṇḍīva. It cuts off the head of the Sindhu king (Jayadratha) and then rises into the sky carrying it away, likened to a hawk’s rapid flight.