Shloka 55
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
युधामन्यु: कृप॑ विद्ध्वा धनुरस्याशु चिच्छिदे । अथान्यद् धनुरादाय कृप: शस्त्रभृतां वर:
yudhāmanyuḥ kṛpaṁ viddhvā dhanur asyāśu cicchide | athānyad dhanur ādāya kṛpaḥ śastrabhṛtāṁ varaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Yudhāmanyu, having struck Kṛpa, swiftly cut his bow. Then Kṛpa—foremost among weapon-bearers—took up another bow. In the ensuing exchange he brought down Yudhāmanyu’s standard, charioteer, and royal parasol; and Yudhāmanyu, a great chariot-warrior, fled from that place with his chariot.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even within kṣatriya-dharma, victory depends not only on initial success but on steadiness, quick recovery, and protection of the chariot’s supports and emblems; the fall of banner, charioteer, and parasol marks a collapse of battlefield standing and compels withdrawal.
Yudhāmanyu wounds Kṛpa and cuts his bow; Kṛpa immediately takes another bow and counters effectively, bringing down Yudhāmanyu’s standard, charioteer, and parasol, after which Yudhāmanyu retreats in his chariot.