Shloka 39
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
तामापतन्तीं सहसा हेमदण्डां सुवेगिनीम् । त्रिधा चिच्छेद नृपति: सा व्यकीर्यत मेदिनीम्
tām āpatantīṃ sahasā hemadaṇḍāṃ suveginīm | tridhā ciccheda nṛpatiḥ sā vyakīryata medinīm ||
Sañjaya said: The golden-shafted weapon, rushing with great speed and suddenly descending, was cut by the king into three pieces; and those fragments scattered upon the earth. The scene underscores the ruthless precision of battle, where skill and resolve decide life and death in an instant, and where a warrior’s duty is carried out amid relentless violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of decisive action and mastery: in war, a ruler-warrior must respond instantly and effectively to threats. It also implicitly points to the grim reality that even splendid weapons (golden-shafted) are reduced to fragments—power and ornament do not prevent destruction.
Sañjaya describes a fast-approaching, golden-shafted missile/weapon that suddenly descends toward the king. The king strikes it mid-course and cuts it into three pieces, which then scatter across the ground.