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 |
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, seketika itu Citraseṇa dengan anak panah bhalla yang tajam dan terasah baik memutus busur Nakula tepat pada bagian pegangan—di tempat tangan mencengkeramnya—sehingga senjatanya lumpuh di tengah pertempuran.
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.