Shloka 113
न विमुज्चन्ति शस्त्राणि शूरा: साधुव्रते स्थिता: । “अर्जुन जो केश खोलकर खड़ा हो
na vimucanti śastrāṇi śūrāḥ sādhuvrate sthitāḥ |
Sañjaya said: Heroes who are steadfast in a righteous vow do not let their weapons fall upon one who has ceased to fight—such as a man standing with loosened hair, turned away from battle, a brāhmaṇa, one who comes with joined palms seeking refuge, one who has cast down his arms, one who begs for his life, or one whose arrows, armor, and other weapons have been destroyed. Such is the ethical restraint upheld by the best of warriors in the midst of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, dharma imposes limits: a noble warrior does not attack one who has withdrawn, surrendered, become unarmed, or is otherwise incapacitated. Valor is defined not only by strength but by ethical restraint.
Sañjaya articulates a battlefield norm of righteous conduct—listing conditions under which a warrior should not be struck—framing the conflict in terms of kṣatriya ethics and the protection owed to the helpless or surrendered.