Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 40
Adhyāya 61: Saṃmohana-astra and the Kuru Withdrawal (संमोहनास्त्रं तथा कुरुनिवृत्तिः)
अथैनं पज्चभि: पश्चात् प्रत्यविध्यत् स्तनान्तरे | सो<पयातो रणं हित्वा पार्थबाणप्रपीडित:,तत्पश्चात् उसकी छातीमें भी पाँच बाण मारे। पार्थके बाणोंसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित हो दुःशासन युद्ध छोड़कर भाग गया
athainaṃ pañcabhiḥ paścāt pratyavidhyat stanāntare | so 'payāto raṇaṃ hitvā pārthabāṇaprapīḍitaḥ ||
Entonces Arjuna lo hirió de nuevo por la espalda con cinco flechas en la región del pecho. Atormentado por los dardos de Pārtha, Duḥśāsana abandonó la lucha y se retiró del campo de batalla.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a practical ethical dimension of warfare: when one is decisively overpowered, persistence may turn into futile self-destruction, and retreat becomes the immediate consequence of being subdued. It also underscores the karmic/narrative logic that aggressive wrongdoing can meet swift reversal on the battlefield.
Arjuna (Pārtha) shoots the opponent from behind with five arrows in the chest area. Wounded and distressed by Arjuna’s arrows, the opponent abandons the fight and retreats from the battlefield.