Shloka 186
Adhyāya 108 — Nimitta-darśana and Drona’s counsel amid Arjuna’s advance (निमित्तदर्शनं द्रोणोपदेशश्च)
न्यकृन्तन्नुत्तमाज़ानि कायेभ्यो हयसादिनाम् । राजन! तत्पश्चात् वे रथी झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणोंद्वारा घुड़सवारोंके मस्तक काटने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | nyakṛntann uttamāṅgāni kāyebhyo hayasādinām | rājan tatpaścāt te rathī jhukī-huī gāṇṭhavāle bāṇoṃdvārā ghuḍasavāroṃke mastaka kāṭane lage |
Sañjaya dit : «Ils tranchèrent les têtes des cavaliers, les séparant de leurs corps. Ô roi, ensuite ces guerriers de char se mirent à sectionner les têtes des montés avec des flèches acérées, munies de pointes recourbées et noueuses.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim reality of kṣatriya warfare: prowess and duty are expressed through decisive action in battle, yet the narration also implicitly highlights the ethical tension of dharma in war—skill and obligation operating amid severe violence.
Sanjaya reports that chariot-warriors are cutting down mounted horsemen, specifically severing their heads from their bodies using specialized arrows with bent/knotted heads, indicating a fierce escalation and tactical lethality on the battlefield.