Shloka 108
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
प्रचिच्छेदाशु भल्लेन द्विषतामाततायिनाम् | शस्त्र पाणिं तथा बाहुं तथापि च शिरांस्युत,वे अपने भल्लके द्वारा आततायी शत्रुओंके शस्त्र, हाथ, भुजा तथा मस्तकोंको बड़ी फुर्तीसे काट रहे थे
prachicchedāśu bhallena dviṣatām ātatāyinām | śastra-pāṇiṃ tathā bāhuṃ tathāpi ca śirāṃsy uta ||
Sañjaya said: With swift bhalla-arrows he kept cutting down the weapons in the hands of those hostile assailants—severing their hands and arms, and even their heads.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim ethic of battlefield dharma: against ātatāyins (violent aggressors), a warrior’s duty is executed through decisive action. It reflects how classical dharma discourse often treats aggression as a condition that legitimizes forceful response.
Sañjaya describes a fighter (implied by context) rapidly using bhalla-arrows to cut down enemy weapons and to sever hands, arms, and heads—depicting intense, close-quarters lethality and the turning of the battle through superior archery.