Shloka 30
Arjuna’s Concentrated Archery and the Rout of the Kaurava Mahārathas
Gāṇḍīva-Nirghoṣa Episode
स तदप्यस्य कौन्तेयश्चिच्छेद नतपर्वणा । एवमन्यानि चापानि बहूनि कृतहस्तवत् | शारद्वतस्य चिच्छेद पाण्डव: परवीरहा
sa tad apy asya kaunteyaś ciccheda nataparvaṇā | evam anyāni cāpāni bahūni kṛtahastavat | śāradvatasya ciccheda pāṇḍavaḥ paravīrahā ||
Namun putra Kuntī itu juga memutus busur tersebut dengan anak panah yang ruasnya melengkung. Demikian pula sang Pāṇḍava, penakluk para kesatria musuh, menghancurkan banyak busur lain milik Śāradvata (Kṛpa), memperlihatkan ketangkasan seorang pemanah ulung.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined, precise action in conflict: a warrior’s excellence lies in controlled skill that disables harm (cutting bows) rather than uncontrolled slaughter—an ethical ideal of restraint and mastery within dharma-yuddha.
Arjuna (Kaunteya), in the Virāṭa episode’s combat, severs Kṛpācārya’s bow with a specialized arrow and then breaks many of Kṛpa’s other bows as well, demonstrating superior speed and technique and reducing the opponent’s ability to fight.