Shloka 52
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
ततः क्रुद्धों महेष्वास: सप्तभल्लै: सुतेजनै: । धनूंषि तेषामाच्छिद्य ममर्द पृतनापति:
tataḥ kruddho maheṣvāsaḥ saptabhallaiḥ sutejanaiḥ | dhanūṃṣi teṣām ācchidya mamarda pṛtanāpatiḥ ||
तब महान धनुर्धर सेनापति श्वेत ने क्रोध में आकर तीक्ष्ण तेज वाले सात भल्ल बाणों से उन सबके धनुष काट दिए और उनकी युद्ध-शक्ति को कुचल दिया।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where superior skill is shown through precise, goal-directed action—disarming by cutting bows—demonstrating controlled application of force within kṣatriya-dharma rather than mere indiscriminate killing.
Sañjaya reports that an enraged great archer, the army commander, uses seven razor-sharp bhalla arrows to sever the bows of the opposing warriors, thereby neutralizing them and asserting dominance in the fight.