Shloka 2
संछिद्य चापानि च तानि राज्ञां तेषां रणे वीर्यवतां क्षणेन | विव्याध बाणैर्युगपन्महात्मा निःशेषतां तेष्वथ मन्यमान:,रणक्षेत्रमें उन पराक्रमी नरेशोंके धनुषोंको क्षणभरमें काटकर महामना अर्जुनने उनका पूर्णतः संहार कर देनेकी इच्छासे एक ही साथ सबको अपने बाणोंसे घायल कर दिया
saṃchidya cāpāni ca tāni rājñāṃ teṣāṃ raṇe vīryavatāṃ kṣaṇena | vivyādha bāṇair yugapan mahātmā niḥśeṣatāṃ teṣv atha manyamānaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In the midst of battle, that great-souled Arjuna, in an instant, cut down the bows of those kings—mighty in valor—and, intent on utterly finishing them, pierced them all at once with his arrows. The verse underscores the ruthless efficiency of martial skill when driven by the resolve to end resistance, raising the ethical tension between necessary force in war and the impulse toward total annihilation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intention (manyamānaḥ) shapes action in war: skill and speed can neutralize opponents instantly, but the stated aim of 'niḥśeṣatā' (total destruction) foregrounds the moral strain in righteous warfare—whether force is used merely to disable or to annihilate.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, in the thick of combat, swiftly severs the bows of several valorous kings and simultaneously wounds them with arrows, acting with the intention of completely finishing them off.