Shloka 55
संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! तब अर्जुनने रोषपूर्वक घूमकर उत्तम धारवाले छ: तीखे बाणोंद्वारा आकाशमें तिरछी गतिसे उड़ते हुए उस नागके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर डाले। शरीर टूक-टूक हो जानेके कारण वह पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा ।।
sañjaya uvāca—rājan! tadā arjunena roṣapūrvakaṁ parivṛtya uttamadhārāvalaiḥ ṣaḍbhiḥ tīkṣṇaiḥ bāṇaiḥ ākāśe tiryaggatyā uḍḍīyamānaṁ taṁ nāgaṁ ṭukṛe-ṭukṛe kṛtvā nipātitaḥ sa pṛthivyāṁ papāta. hate ca tasmin bhujage kirīṭinā svayaṁ vibhuḥ pārthiva bhūtalād atha samujjahārāśu punaḥ patantaṁ rathaṁ bhujābhyāṁ puruṣottamas tat.
Sañjaya said: “O King, then Arjuna, turning about in wrath, with six razor‑edged, keen arrows, cut that serpent—flying through the sky in a slanting course—into pieces. Its body shattered, it fell to the earth. And when that serpent had been slain by the diademed hero, the mighty Puruṣottama himself swiftly lifted up with his arms the chariot as it was falling again upon the ground.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violent conflict, the episode highlights dharma as disciplined action: Arjuna responds with focused skill to neutralize a lethal threat, while Kṛṣṇa’s swift intervention underscores the ethical ideal of protecting one’s ally and upholding the righteous cause through steadfast support.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, angered, turns and shoots six sharp arrows to cut a flying serpent into pieces, causing it to fall to the ground. After the serpent is slain, Kṛṣṇa (called Puruṣottama) quickly lifts the chariot with his arms as it is dropping toward the earth.