Shloka 31
चिक्षेप च पुनर्बाणानू शतशो5थ सहस्रश: । स शरैररदितस्तेन कर्णेन दृढ्धन्विना । धनुर्ज्यामच्छिनत् तूर्ण भीमस्तस्य क्षुरेण ह
sañjaya uvāca |
cikṣepa ca punar bāṇān śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ |
sa śarair arditas tena karṇena dṛḍha-dhanvinā |
dhanur-jyām acchinat tūrṇaṃ bhīmas tasya kṣureṇa ha ||
Sañjaya said: Again he hurled arrows—by the hundreds and then by the thousands. Struck hard by those shafts from Karṇa, the mighty archer, Bhīma swiftly severed Karṇa’s bowstring with a razor-edged arrow. In the ethics of battle, this is a tactical, non-lethal check on an opponent’s momentum—disabling the weapon rather than seeking immediate slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violent conflict, skill and judgment can express a form of restraint: disabling an opponent’s weapon (cutting the bowstring) checks aggression without immediately aiming at fatal harm, aligning with disciplined kṣatriya conduct and tactical prudence.
Karṇa showers Bhīma with a massive volley of arrows. Though struck, Bhīma responds decisively by severing Karṇa’s bowstring with a razor-edged arrow, interrupting Karṇa’s attack and shifting the advantage.