Shloka 25
तस्योन्नतांसं सुनसं शिर: कायात् सकुण्डलम् | भल्लेनापाहरद् द्रौणि: स्मयमान इवानघ,निष्पाप नरेश! उस समय अभश्व॒त्थामाने मुसकराते हुए-से भलल मारकर उसके द्वारा नीलके ऊँचे कंधों, सुन्दर नासिकाओं तथा कुण्डलोंसहित मस्तकको धड़से काट गिराया
tasyonnatāṃsaṃ sunasaṃ śiraḥ kāyāt sakuṇḍalam | bhallenāpāharad drauṇiḥ smayamāna ivānagha niṣpāpa nareśa ||
Sañjaya said: O blameless king, at that moment Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāman), as though smiling, struck with a bhalla-arrow and severed from the body the head—adorned with earrings—of that warrior who had lofty shoulders and a handsome nose. The narration underscores the grim efficiency of battlefield skill, where personal beauty and royal insignia offer no protection against the consequences of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral atmosphere of war: martial prowess operates with relentless finality, and outward marks of status or beauty do not avert death. It implicitly warns that when dharma collapses into total warfare, human dignity is easily reduced to trophies and severed limbs.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāman (Droṇa’s son) strikes with a bhalla-arrow and cuts off an opponent’s head, described with vivid physical details (broad shoulders, handsome nose, earrings), emphasizing the suddenness and brutality of the kill.