Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 126
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
नकुलस्य महाराज मुष्टिदेशे5च्छिनद् धनु: । महाराज! इतनेहीमें चित्रसेनने एक पानीदार पैने भल्लके द्वारा नकुलके धनुषको मुट्ठी पकड़नेकी जगहसे काट दिया
nakulasya mahārāja muṣṭideśe 'cchinad dhanuḥ |
સંજય બોલ્યા—મહારાજ! એટલામાં ચિત્રસેને તીખા, મજબૂત ભલ્લબાણથી નકુલનું ધનુષ હાથ પકડવાની જગ્યા—મુઠ્ઠી પાસે—કાપી નાખ્યું; યુદ્ધમધ્યે જ તેનું શસ્ત્ર નિષ્પ્રભ બની ગયું.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that in battle, mastery and discernment can achieve victory by disabling an opponent’s capacity to fight rather than by indiscriminate killing—an implicit reminder that even within kṣatriya-dharma, force can be applied with tactical restraint.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Citrasena strikes Nakula’s bow with a sharp bhalla arrow and cuts it at the grip, rendering Nakula’s weapon unusable at a critical moment in the fighting.
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