Shloka 4
अथीैनं छिन्नधन्वानं शरेणानतपर्वणा । विव्याध समरे तूर्ण प्रवरं सर्वधन्विनाम्,धनुष कट जानेपर समस्त धनुर्धरोंमें श्रेष्ठ बृहत्क्षत्रकों समरांगणमें झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणसे उसने तुरंत ही बींध डाला
atha enaṃ chinnadhanvānaṃ śareṇānataparvaṇā | vivyādha samare tūrṇaṃ pravaraṃ sarvadhanvinām ||
संजय बोले—फिर धनुष कट जाने से धनुर्विहीन हुए उस वीर को उसने झुकी हुई गाँठों वाले बाण से रणभूमि में शीघ्र ही बेध दिया—जो समस्त धनुर्धरों में श्रेष्ठ गिना जाता था।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh immediacy of battlefield dharma: once a warrior is disarmed, vulnerability follows at once, and excellence in archery does not guarantee safety. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension—valor and skill operate within a world of sudden reversals, where outcomes can turn in an instant.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior, having had his bow cut or lost, is quickly struck in battle by an arrow described as ānataparvaṇa (“with bent joints/knots”). The target is praised as a foremost archer, emphasizing the significance of the blow and the intensity of the combat.