Shloka 35
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
भुजान् परिघसंकाशान् हस्तिहस्तोपमान् रणे । उन्होंने तीखे बाणोंसे रणभूमिमें कभी पीठ न दिखानेवाले शूरवीरोंकी परिघके समान सुदृढ़ तथा हाथीकी सूँड़के समान मोटी भुजाओंको काट डाला ।। शिरांसि च महाबाह॒श्चिच्छेद निशितै: शरैः
sañjaya uvāca | bhujān parigha-saṅkāśān hastihastopamān raṇe | (pṛṣṭhaṃ na darśayituṃ śīlān śūrānāṃ) parigha-samān sudaḍhān tathā hastī-sūṇḍā-samān motān bhujān ciccheda niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | śirāṃsi ca mahābāhūn ciccheda niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Au plus fort de la mêlée, il trancha les bras des guerriers—des bras solides comme des massues de fer et massifs comme la trompe d’un éléphant—ceux de héros fameux pour ne jamais tourner le dos au champ de bataille. De ses flèches acérées, il coupa aussi les têtes de combattants aux bras puissants. La scène souligne l’éthique sombre de la guerre des kṣatriya : le courage inébranlable est loué, mais le prix du devoir martial se révèle dans une destruction des corps, implacable et continue.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ideal of not retreating (steadfastness in kṣatriya-dharma) while simultaneously revealing the harsh moral reality of war: even celebrated courage culminates in severe, irreversible suffering.
Sañjaya reports a fierce combat episode in which a powerful fighter (unnamed in this verse) uses sharp arrows to cut down opponents—severing their strong arms and then their heads—depicting overwhelming martial dominance on the battlefield.