Shloka 46
सौभद्रस्य महाबाहुर्व्यधमत् कार्मुकं शितै: । यश्च नागायुतप्राणं वजरंहसमच्युतम्
saubhadrasya mahābāhur vyadhamat kārmukaṃ śitaiḥ | yaś ca nāgāyutaprāṇaṃ vajraṃhasam acyutam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: The mighty-armed warrior shattered Saubhadra’s bow with sharp arrows; and he struck down Acyuta as well—he whose life-force was said to equal that of ten thousand elephants, and whose speed was like a thunderbolt.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of worldly strength and reputation in the face of war’s immediacy: even famed might (likened to ten thousand elephants) and extraordinary speed (thunderbolt-like) can be overcome. Ethically, it points to the tragic cost of kṣatriya conflict, where skill is exercised within duty yet results in swift destruction.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates a combat moment: a mighty warrior breaks Saubhadra’s (Abhimanyu’s) bow with sharp arrows and also strikes down a figure named Acyuta, described with hyperbolic strength and speed. The scene conveys a decisive turn in the exchange of weapons and advantage on the battlefield.