Shloka 6
कर्णस्य दानप्रतिज्ञा–शल्योपदेश–वाक्ययुद्धम्
Karna’s Gift-Vows, Shalya’s Counsel, and the Battle of Words
षष्ठेन तु ध्वजं राज्ञ: सप्तमेन तु कार्मुकम् । अष्टमेन तथा खड्गं पातयामास भूतले,फिर छठे बाणसे राजा दुर्योधनके ध्वजको, सातवेंसे उसके धनुषको और आठवेंसे उसकी तलवारको भी पृथ्वीपर गिरा दिया
ṣaṣṭhena tu dhvajaṃ rājñaḥ saptamena tu kārmukam | aṣṭamena tathā khaḍgaṃ pātayāmāsa bhūtale ||
Sañjaya dit : D’une sixième flèche, il abattit l’étendard du roi ; d’une septième, il fit tomber son arc ; et d’une huitième, il fit choir aussi son épée à terre. Dans la trame morale du combat, c’est l’étalage d’une maîtrise supérieure visant à dépouiller l’adversaire des signes visibles et des instruments du pouvoir—l’humilier et réduire sa capacité de lutter—plutôt que de rechercher une mise à mort rapide.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in a dharmic war narrative, victory is not only about killing but also about mastery, restraint, and the symbolic dismantling of an opponent’s power—banner, bow, and sword representing status, capacity, and immediate threat.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior (implied by context) shoots successive arrows with precise aim: the sixth brings down the king’s banner, the seventh knocks down his bow, and the eighth makes his sword fall to the ground, leaving him publicly diminished and tactically disadvantaged.