Shloka 46
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 19 — Saṃśaptaka–Trigarta Assault and Aindra-astra Counter
द्विपस्य पादाग्रकरान् स पञठ्चभि- नपस्य बाहू च शिरो<5थ च त्रिभि: | जघान षड्भि: षडनुत्तमत्विष: स पाण्ड्यराजानुचरान् महारथान्,उसने पाँच बाणोंसे उस हाथीके पैर तथा सूँड़ काट लिये। फिर तीन बाणोंसे पाण्ड्यनरेशकी दोनों भुजाओं और मस्तकको शरीरसे अलग कर दिया। इसके बाद छः: बाणोंसे पाण्ड्यराजके पीछे चलनेवाले उत्तम कान्तिसे सुशोभित छ: महारथियोंको भी मार डाला
sañjaya uvāca |
dvipasya pādāgrakarān sa pañcabhir
napasya bāhū ca śiro 'tha ca tribhiḥ |
jaghāna ṣaḍbhiḥ ṣaḍ-anuttama-tviṣaḥ
sa pāṇḍya-rājānucarān mahārathān ||
Sañjaya said: With five arrows he cut off the elephant’s forefeet and trunk. Then, with three arrows, he severed the Pāṇḍya king’s two arms and his head from the body. After that, with six arrows, he also slew six great chariot-warriors—men of excellent radiance—who were following behind the Pāṇḍya ruler.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral strain of war: even within kṣatriya duty, victory often comes through overwhelming force and technical mastery, prompting reflection on how dharma operates amid large-scale violence and the dehumanizing momentum of battle.
In Sañjaya’s report from the battlefield, a warrior (implied by context) first disables a war-elephant by cutting its forefeet and trunk with five arrows, then kills the Pāṇḍya king by severing his arms and head with three arrows, and finally slays six accompanying elite chariot-warriors with six more arrows.