Shloka 373
अस्यतो वृष्णिवीरस्य निचकर्त शरासनम् | तत्पश्चात् दूसरे तीखे, पैने और पानीदार भल्लसे उसने बाण फेंकते हुए वृष्णिवीर सात्यकिके धनुषको काट डाला
asyato vṛṣṇivīrasya nicakarta śarāsanam | tatpaścāt dvitīyena tīkṣṇena painena pāṇḍurena bhallena bāṇān kṣipan vṛṣṇivīra-sātyakeḥ dhanuṣo 'cchinat ||
Sañjaya said: As the Vṛṣṇi hero was shooting, his bow was cut down. Then, with a second razor-sharp, keen, pale-headed bhalla arrow, the attacker—still releasing shafts—severed the bow of the Vṛṣṇi champion Sātyaki. In the brutal ethics of battlefield skill, disabling an opponent’s weapon becomes a decisive act, shifting the contest from mere exchange of arrows to the question of resilience, composure, and adherence to a warrior’s duty under sudden disadvantage.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic within kṣatriya-dharma: skill and presence of mind matter as much as strength. When a warrior’s weapon is disabled, the true test becomes steadiness, quick adaptation, and continued commitment to duty despite sudden loss.
During the fighting, an opponent severs the bow of the Vṛṣṇi warrior—identified explicitly as Sātyaki—using a sharp bhalla arrow. The action is tactical: by cutting the bow, the attacker attempts to neutralize Sātyaki’s ability to continue effective archery.