Shloka 18
Śalya’s Objection to Sārathya and Duryodhana’s Conciliation (शल्यमन्यु-प्रशमनम् / Sārathyāṅgīkāra)
नकुलस्तु ततः कर्ण विद्ध्वा सप्तभिराशुगै: । अथास्य धनुष: कोटिं पुनश्चिच्छेद मारिष,माननीय नरेश! तदनन्तर नकुलने कर्णको सात बाणोंसे घायल करके उसके धनुषका एक कोना पुन: काट डाला
nakulastu tataḥ karṇa viddhvā saptabhir āśugaiḥ | athāsya dhanuṣaḥ koṭiṃ punaś ciccheda māriṣa mānanīya nareśa |
Sañjaya said: Then Nakula, having pierced Karṇa with seven swift arrows, once again cut off a corner of his bow, O venerable king. In the press of battle he sought to check Karṇa’s might by damaging the weapon itself.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic of neutralizing an opponent’s capacity to harm: Nakula not only wounds Karṇa but also disables his bow, showing strategic restraint and tactical intelligence within the kṣatriya framework of war.
Sañjaya reports that Nakula first strikes Karṇa with seven swift arrows and then again severs a corner of Karṇa’s bow, aiming to hinder Karṇa’s ability to continue effective archery in the ongoing combat.