Shloka 5
अश्वमेधीयस्य हयस्य दक्षिणापश्चिमगमनम् — The Sacrificial Horse’s Southern and Western Circuit
ततः शिरांसि दीप्ताग्रैस्तेषां चिच्छेद पाण्डव:
tataḥ śirāṃsi dīptāgrais teṣāṃ ciccheda pāṇḍavaḥ
Then the Pāṇḍava, with weapons whose points blazed, severed their heads—an act of swift, decisive violence within the unfolding conflict, underscoring the grim ethical tension between necessary force and the horror of slaughter.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya action in wartime: decisive force may be exercised as part of one’s role, yet it simultaneously exposes the moral weight and tragic cost of violence.
Vaiśampāyana reports that a Pāṇḍava strikes with sharp, blazing-pointed weapons and cuts off the heads of certain opponents, marking a moment of intense combat and swift defeat.