Shloka 28
Ulūpī–Citravāhinī Saṃvāda: Dhanaṃjaya-patana and Prāya-threat
तस्य पार्थ: शरैंदिव्यैर्ध्वजं हेमपरिष्कृतम् । सुवर्णतालप्रतिमं क्षुरेणापाहरद् रथात्,राजन्! तब पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनने हँसते हुए-से अपने क्षुर नामक दिव्य बाणोंद्वारा बभ्रुवाहनके रथसे सुनहरे तालवृक्षके समान ऊँची सुवर्णभूषित ध्वजा काट गिरायी। शत्रुदमन नरेश! साथ ही उन्होंने उसके महान् वेगशाली विशालकाय घोड़ोंके भी प्राण ले लिये
tasya pārthaḥ śaraiḥ divyaiḥ dhvajaṃ hemapariṣkṛtam | suvarṇatālapratimaṃ kṣureṇāpāharad rathāt, rājan |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Pārtha (Arjuna), using his divine arrows, severed from the chariot the banner adorned with gold—lofty like a golden palmyra tree—cutting it down with a razor-edged (kṣura) missile, O king. In the same swift assault, he also struck down the opponent’s powerful, high-spirited horses. The episode underscores the disciplined, goal-directed force of a kṣatriya in battle: neutralizing the enemy’s mobility and morale by bringing down the standard and the team, rather than indulging in needless cruelty.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined kṣatriya conduct in battle: decisive action aimed at disabling the enemy’s capacity to fight (standard and horses as symbols of morale and mobility), reflecting strategic restraint rather than chaotic violence.
Arjuna, in combat, uses a razor-edged divine missile to cut down the opponent’s gold-adorned banner from the chariot, and he also kills the opponent’s powerful horses, thereby crippling the chariot’s effectiveness.