Shloka 8
Pāṇḍya-vadha-anantaram Arjunasya Pravṛttiḥ
Arjuna’s Response and the Renewed Battle
धनूंषि बाणानिषुधीर्धनुर्ज्या: पाणीन् भुजान् पाणिगतं च शस्त्रम् छत्राणि केतूंस्तुरगान् रथेषां वस्त्राणि माल्यान्यथ भूषणानि
sañjaya uvāca |
dhanūṃṣi bāṇāni ṣudhīr dhanurjyāḥ pāṇīn bhujān pāṇigataṃ ca śastram |
chatrāṇi ketūṃs turagān ratheṣāṃ vastrāṇi mālyāny atha bhūṣaṇāni ||
Sañjaya said: Arjuna, the son of Kunti, with arrows loosed in the finest manner, cut down in battle—without turning his back on foes who faced him—their bows, arrows, quivers, and bowstrings; their hands and arms, and the weapons held in their hands; their parasols and banners; their horses and the fittings of their chariots; and also their garments, garlands, and ornaments.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya battlefield ethic of confronting enemies who stand and face one another, while emphasizing disciplined martial excellence: Arjuna’s skill is portrayed as precise and overwhelming, yet situated within the code of open combat rather than cowardly retreat or hidden attack.
Sanjaya describes Arjuna’s arrows severing the enemy’s weapons and war-gear—bows, arrows, quivers, bowstrings, limbs holding weapons, and also royal insignia like parasols and banners, along with horses, chariot fittings, clothing, garlands, and ornaments—showing the scale of destruction Arjuna inflicts on opponents who remain facing him.