Shloka 5636
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
तेषां त्रयाणां चापानि चिच्छेद विशिखैस्त्रिभि: । तब राधानन्दन कर्णने अपने बाणोंकी वर्षद्वारा अर्जुनके बाणोंका निवारण करके अपने तीन बाणोंद्वारा धृष्टद्युम्न आदि तीनों वीरोंके धनुषोंको भी काट दिया
teṣāṁ trayāṇāṁ cāpāni ciccheda viśikhaiḥ tribhiḥ |
Dengan tiga anak panah tajam, Karṇa memutus busur ketiga kesatria itu. Lalu putra Rādhā itu menahan hujan panah Arjuna dengan rentetan panahnya sendiri, dan dengan tiga tembakan yang tepat ia pun melumpuhkan busur Dṛṣṭadyumna serta dua pahlawan lainnya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in righteous warfare (kṣatriya-dharma), mastery, timing, and restraint can decide outcomes: disabling an opponent’s weapon (cutting the bow) is a tactical way to gain advantage without necessarily aiming first at killing.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa counters Arjuna’s arrows with his own and then, using three arrows, severs the bows of three opposing warriors—identified in the accompanying context as Dṛṣṭadyumna and two others—momentarily neutralizing them in the battle.