Shloka 14
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 109 — Karṇa–Bhīma Yuddha and Durmukha’s Fall (कर्णभीमयुद्धम्; दुर्मुखवधः)
वीरधन्वा ततः क्रुद्धो धृष्टकेतो: शरासनम् | द्विधा चिच्छेद भल्लेन प्रहसन्निव भारत,भरतनन्दन! तत्पश्चात् वीरधन्वाने कुपित होकर हँसते हुए-से ही एक भल्लद्वारा धृष्टकेतुके धनुषके दो टुकड़े कर दिये
vīradhanvas tataḥ kruddho dhṛṣṭaketoḥ śarāsanam | dvidhā ciccheda bhallena prahasann iva bhārata bharatanandana ||
Sañjaya said: Then Vīradhanvas, enraged, cut Dhṛṣṭaketu’s bow in two with a bhalla-arrow, as though laughing—O Bhārata, O delight of the Bharatas. The scene underscores the ruthless precision of battle, where anger and mockery mingle and a warrior’s strength is measured by the ability to disable an opponent’s means of combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked anger and contempt can accompany prowess in war; ethically, it invites reflection on the warrior’s discipline—skill should be governed by restraint, even amid legitimate combat.
Vīradhanvas, provoked and furious, strikes with a bhalla-arrow and cleanly severs Dhṛṣṭaketu’s bow into two, doing so with an air of derisive confidence while Sañjaya reports the event to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.