Shloka 23
Kuntī–Sūrya-saṃvāda: Autonomy, Reputation, and the Promise of Karṇa
तृतीयेन तु बाणेन पृथुधारेण भास्वता । जहार सुनसं चापि शिरो भ्राजिष्णुकुण्डलम्,तत्पश्चात् मोटी धारवाले और चमकीले तीसरे बाणसे उन्होंने सुन्दर नासिका और शोभाशाली कुण्डलोंसे विभूषित शत्रुके मस्तकको भी धड़से अलग कर दिया
tṛtīyena tu bāṇena pṛthudhāreṇa bhāsvatā | jahāra sunasaṃ cāpi śiro bhrājiṣṇukuṇḍalam ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Then, with a third arrow—broad-edged and blazing—he struck and severed the enemy’s head from the body, a head marked by a handsome nose and adorned with shining earrings.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the uncompromising finality of warfare once it is joined: skill and resolve culminate in decisive action, reminding the listener that violence, even when framed within a warrior code, carries stark and irreversible outcomes.
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration, a warrior releases a third, broad-edged, radiant arrow that cuts off the opponent’s head—described as handsome and ornamented with shining earrings—severing it from the body.