Shloka 31
Duryodhana Seeks Droṇa’s Counsel; Imperative to Protect Jayadratha; Pāñcāla Assault on Duryodhana
दुर्योधनं च बाणाभ्यां तीक्ष्णाभ्यां विरथीकृतम् । आविषध्यद्धस्ततलयोरुभयोरर्जुनस्तदा
duryodhanaṃ ca bāṇābhyāṃ tīkṣṇābhyāṃ virathīkṛtam | āviṣadhyaddhastatalayorubhayor arjunas tadā ||
Sañjaya said: Arjuna then struck Duryodhana—already made chariotless by two sharp arrows—so that both his palms were pierced, intensifying the moral pressure of the battle by disabling the enemy’s capacity to fight rather than merely seeking a dramatic kill.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where skill is used to neutralize an opponent’s ability to continue fighting (making him chariotless and injuring the palms), underscoring disciplined martial conduct and tactical restraint within kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna first renders Duryodhana chariotless with two sharp arrows and then pierces both of Duryodhana’s palms, further disabling him in the ongoing combat of the Droṇa Parva.