Shloka 59
अन्यस्य सव्य: सह वर्मणा च क्षुरप्रकृत्त: पतितो धरण्याम् | एवं समस्तानपि योधमुख्यान् विध्वंसयामास किरीटमाली
anyasya savyaḥ saha varmaṇā ca kṣuraprakṛttaḥ patito dharaṇyām | evaṃ samastān api yodhamukhyān vidhvaṃsayāmāsa kirīṭamālī ||
Sañjaya said: Another warrior’s left arm, together with its armour, was shorn off by a razor-edged shaft and fell upon the earth. In this very manner the diadem-wearing hero (Kiritamālī) went on destroying even all the foremost leaders among the fighters.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim reality of dharma-yuddha: even when fighting is framed as a Kṣatriya obligation, its execution is severe and irreversible. It highlights how prowess and duty in war can manifest as relentless destruction, reminding readers that ethical responsibility and the tragic cost of conflict remain inseparable.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield scene in which the diadem-wearing Arjuna severs a warrior’s left arm along with its armour using a razor-like missile, and continues in the same way to cut down many leading warriors.