Mahabharata 7.116.81 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 116, Shloka 81
Śaineya’s Breakthrough and Reunion with Arjuna (शैनेयस्य समागमः)
शिखण्डिनस्ततः: क्रुद्धः क्षुरप्रेण महारथ: । धनुश्रिच्छेद समरे प्रहसन्निव सात्वत:
śikhaṇḍinas tataḥ kruddhaḥ kṣurapreṇa mahārathaḥ | dhanuś ciccheda samare prahasann iva sātvataḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Entonces Kṛtavarmā, el gran guerrero de carro, encendido de ira, sonriendo como en burla en medio del combate, cercenó el arco de Śikhaṇḍin con una flecha de filo de navaja.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where tactical superiority—such as disarming an opponent—can decide outcomes swiftly. It also reflects how, in the heat of war, emotions like anger may coexist with a display of confidence or contempt (the ‘smiling’), emphasizing the harsh psychological dimension of combat.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛtavarmā, angered in the fight, uses a razor-edged arrow (kṣurapra) to cut Śikhaṇḍin’s bow, effectively disarming him in that moment and gaining an advantage in the ongoing battle.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.