Shloka 7
Bhagadatta’s Astra and the Fall of the Prāgjyotiṣa King (भगदत्त-वधः / वैष्णवास्त्र-प्रसङ्गः)
ततोडर्जुनः सुशर्माणं विद्धवा सप्तभिराशुगै: । ध्वजं धनुश्नास्य तथा क्षुराभ्यां समकृन्तत,तत्पश्चात् अर्जुनने सुशर्माको सात बाणोंसे घायल करके दो छुरोंद्वारा उसके ध्वज और धनुषको काट डाला
tato 'rjunaḥ suśarmāṇaṁ viddhvā saptabhir āśugaiḥ | dhvajaṁ dhanuś cāsya tathā kṣurābhyāṁ samakṛntata ||
Kemudian Arjuna menembus Suśarmā dengan tujuh anak panah yang melesat cepat, lalu dengan dua panah bermata tajam ia menebas panji dan busurnya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, power is ideally exercised with discernment: disabling an aggressor’s capacity to harm (cutting bow and banner) can be a dharmic assertion of control rather than indiscriminate slaughter, reflecting disciplined kṣatriya agency.
Arjuna strikes Susarman with seven swift arrows, then uses two razor-edged arrows to cut down Susarman’s chariot-banner and sever his bow, symbolically and practically undermining his fighting capability.