Shloka 24
तान् स विद्ध्वा पुनर्योधान् वीर: सुनिशितै: शरैः । राधेयस्याच्छिनद् भल्लै: कार्मुकं चित्रयोधिन:
tān sa viddhvā punaryodhān vīraḥ suniśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | rādheyasyācchinad bhallaiḥ kārmukaṃ citrayodhinaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Having struck those warriors again with keenly sharpened arrows, the valiant fighter then, with broad-headed shafts, cut down the bow of Rādheya (Karna), that master of varied combat. In the relentless ethics of battlefield duty, disabling an opponent’s weapon is a decisive act—not for cruelty’s sake, but to turn the tide through skill and resolve.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where victory is pursued through disciplined skill and tactical restraint: rather than indiscriminate slaughter, a warrior may neutralize an opponent by disabling weapons, demonstrating mastery and purposeful action within kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya reports that a heroic warrior repeatedly strikes the opposing fighters with sharp arrows and then uses bhalla shafts to cut off Karna’s bow, temporarily disarming the renowned and versatile combatant Rādheya.