Shloka 126
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
नकुलस्य महाराज मुष्टिदेशे5च्छिनद् धनु: । महाराज! इतनेहीमें चित्रसेनने एक पानीदार पैने भल्लके द्वारा नकुलके धनुषको मुट्ठी पकड़नेकी जगहसे काट दिया
nakulasya mahārāja muṣṭideśe 'cchinad dhanuḥ |
Sañjaya dijo: Oh rey, con una flecha bhalla afilada y bien templada, Citraseṇa cortó el arco de Nakula justo en la empuñadura—donde la mano lo sostiene—dejando su arma inutilizada en medio de la batalla.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that in battle, mastery and discernment can achieve victory by disabling an opponent’s capacity to fight rather than by indiscriminate killing—an implicit reminder that even within kṣatriya-dharma, force can be applied with tactical restraint.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Citrasena strikes Nakula’s bow with a sharp bhalla arrow and cuts it at the grip, rendering Nakula’s weapon unusable at a critical moment in the fighting.