Shloka 263
पाण्डवपरिचयः—विराटसभायां प्रकाशनम्
Identification of the Pāṇḍavas in Virāṭa’s Court
दुर्योधनस्योत्तमरत्नचित्रं चिच्छेद पार्थो मुकुर्ट शरेण । फिर अअभश्रवत्थामा
duryodhanasyottamaratnacitraṃ ciccheda pārtho mukuṭaśareṇa |
Dijo Vaiśaṃpāyana: Arjuna (Pārtha) cercenó con una sola flecha la espléndida corona de Duryodhana, incrustada de joyas. En medio del combate, el gesto fue una humillación deliberada y una demostración medida de maestría: afirmar la superioridad sin arrebatar de inmediato la vida, poniendo de relieve la capacidad del guerrero de contener la violencia aun mientras cumple el deber del kṣatriya en la guerra.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in righteous warfare, power is ideally governed by restraint: a warrior may demonstrate superiority and uphold duty without needless killing, using skill to check arrogance and signal moral and tactical dominance.
During the battle episode narrated by Vaiśampāyana, Arjuna shoots an arrow that slices off Duryodhana’s ornate, jewel-studded crown—an emphatic battlefield gesture of defeat and humiliation rather than an immediate lethal strike.