Shloka 45
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
प्रजानाथ! तदनन्तर पिताको आनन्द देनेवाला उलूक उस रथसे कूदकर तुरंत ही त्रिगर्तोकी सेनामें चला गया ।।
sañjaya uvāca | sātyakiḥ śakuniṃ viddhvā viṃśatyā niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | dhvajaṃ ciccheda bhallena saubalasya hasann iva ||
Sanjaya said: Satyaki struck Shakuni with twenty razor-sharp arrows. Then, as though smiling in confident disdain, he severed the banner of Saubala (Shakuni) with a broad-headed shaft—an act meant not only to wound the body but to break morale and proclaim superiority amid the chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in warfare, victory is pursued not only through physical harm but also through symbolic and psychological means; severing an enemy’s banner attacks honor and morale, showing how power operates through signs as well as force—raising ethical reflection on pride, intimidation, and the conduct of kṣatriya battle.
Sanjaya narrates that Satyaki wounds Shakuni with twenty sharp arrows and then cuts down Shakuni’s banner with a bhalla, as if smiling—signaling dominance and attempting to demoralize the opposing side.