Shloka 34
ततः क्रुद्धो महेष्वास: सप्तभल्लै: सुतेजनै: । धनूंषि तेषामाच्छिद्य ननर्द पृतनापति:,उस समय महान धनुर्धर सेनापति शंखने कुपित होकर तेज किये हुए भल्ल नामक सात बाणोंद्वारा उन सातों रथियोंके धनुष काटकर गर्जना की
tataḥ kruddho maheṣvāsaḥ saptabhallaiḥ sutejanaiḥ | dhanūṃṣi teṣām ācchidya nanarda pṛtanāpatiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then the great archer, inflamed with anger, with seven razor-sharp bhalla arrows, cut down the bows of those warriors and roared aloud as the commander of the host—an act meant to break their fighting capacity and shake their morale in the midst of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic of disabling an opponent’s weaponry to gain advantage and assert dominance; it also shows how controlled ferocity and morale-shaping (the roar) function as legitimate tactics within kṣatriya warfare.
A great archer, angered in combat, shoots seven sharp bhalla arrows to sever the bows of the opposing warriors, then roars as the army commander—signaling superiority and attempting to intimidate and destabilize the enemy line.