Shloka 84
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५९
Arjuna Breaks the Encirclement; Bhīma Reinforces
सप्तसप्त च नागांस्तान् वैजयन्तीश्व॒ सध्वजा: । निहत्य निशितैर्बाणैश्छिन्ना: पार्थाग्रजेन ते
sapta-sapta ca nāgāṁs tān vaijayantīś ca dhvajāḥ | nihatya niśitair bāṇaiś chinnāḥ pārthāgrajena te |
Sañjaya said: With sharp arrows, Pārtha’s elder brother struck down those elephants—seven times seven in number—and cut down their vaijayantī banners and standards. Thus, with their flags severed, the elephants were felled in battle, displaying Bhīmasena’s overwhelming force against the enemy’s proud emblems.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its battlefield form: decisive action against formidable forces, and the symbolic breaking of the enemy’s pride by cutting down their victory-banners. It underscores how martial excellence is portrayed as duty-bound strength within the epic’s war ethic.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīmasena—identified as Arjuna’s elder brother—uses sharp arrows to bring down forty-nine war-elephants and to sever their vaijayantī banners and standards, indicating a major tactical and morale-shattering feat.