Shloka 22
Pāṇḍya-vadha-anantaram Arjunasya Pravṛttiḥ
Arjuna’s Response and the Renewed Battle
गाण्डीवमुक्तै: कुपितो5विकर्ण- द्रौँणिं शरैः संयति निर्बिभेद । छित्त्वा तु रश्मीस्तुरगानविध्यत् ते त॑ं रणादूहुरतीव दूरम्,क्रोधमें भरे हुए अर्जुनने गाण्डीव धनुषसे छूटे हुए भेड़के कान-जैसे अग्रभागवाले बाणोंद्वारा युद्धस्थलमें द्रोणपुत्रको विदीर्ण कर डाला। घोड़ोंकी बागडोर काटकर उन्हें अत्यन्त घायल कर दिया। इससे वे घोड़े अश्वत्थामाको रणभूमिसे बहुत दूर भगा ले गये
sañjaya uvāca |
gāṇḍīvamuktaiḥ kupito 'vikarṇa-drauṇiṃ śaraiḥ saṃyati nirbibheda |
chittvā tu raśmīṃs turagān avidhyat te taṃ raṇād ūhur atīva dūram ||
Sañjaya said: Enraged, Arjuna pierced Aśvatthāman, Droṇa’s son, in the thick of battle with arrows loosed from the Gāṇḍīva, their tips shaped like a ram’s ear. Then, cutting the reins, he struck the horses hard; and those horses carried Aśvatthāman far away from the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid anger, a warrior’s action can reflect discernment: Arjuna disables Aśvatthāman’s capacity to fight by targeting reins and horses, illustrating strategic restraint within the harsh demands of kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, furious, strikes Aśvatthāman with arrows from the Gāṇḍīva; then he cuts the reins and wounds the horses, which bolt and carry Aśvatthāman far away from the battlefield.