Shloka 42
Adhyāya 61: Saṃmohana-astra and the Kuru Withdrawal (संमोहनास्त्रं तथा कुरुनिवृत्तिः)
ततस्तमपि कौन्तेय: शरेणानतपर्वणा । ललाटे< भ्यहनत् तूर्ण स विद्ध: प्रापतद् रथात्,तत्पश्चात् कुन्तीनन्दन अर्जुनने झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणसे उसको भी ललाटमें बींध डाला। उस बाणसे घायल होकर विकर्ण तुरंत ही रथसे नीचे गिर पड़ा
tatas tam api kaunteyaḥ śareṇānataparvaṇā | lalāṭe 'bhyahanat tūṛṇaṃ sa viddhaḥ prāpatad rathāt ||
Then the son of Kuntī struck him too—swiftly—on the forehead with an arrow whose knot was unbent. Wounded by that shaft, he fell down at once from his chariot.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immediacy and decisiveness of kṣatriya combat: skillful action produces swift results. Ethically, it sits within the epic’s larger tension—duty in war is executed efficiently, yet the human cost is starkly visible in the fallen warrior.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna (Kaunteya) shoots an opponent in the forehead with a straight, firm arrow; the wounded man immediately falls from his chariot, marking a rapid turn in the battle sequence.