Shloka 40
अतिकायवधः
The Slaying of Atikāya
तेषांवृक्षांश्चशैलांश्चशरैःकाञ्चनभूषणैः ।अतिकायोमहातेजाश्चिच्छेदास्त्रविदांवरः ।।।।
teṣāṃ vṛkṣāṃś ca śailāṃś ca śaraiḥ kāñcana-bhūṣaṇaiḥ | atikāyo mahā-tejāś ciccheda astravidāṃ varaḥ || 6.71.40 ||
Atikāya—rayonnant d’une grande vaillance, le premier parmi les maîtres des armes—mit en pièces, de flèches ornées d’or, les arbres et les rochers qu’ils lançaient.
Atikaya, endowed with extraordinary energy, efficient in the use of weapons, shattered the trees and rocks hurled by the Vanaras with his arrows adorned with gold.
FAQs
Dharma in war includes disciplined skill and effectiveness; the verse highlights trained mastery (astravidyā) as a form of ordered power—yet the epic still distinguishes skill from righteousness.
Atikāya counters the Vānaras’ improvised weapons (trees and rocks) by cutting them apart mid-assault with his arrows.
Technical excellence and composure in combat—Atikāya’s mastery of weapons and decisive execution.