Shloka 353
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
हस्तिहस्तान् हयग्रीवान् रथाक्षांश्ष समन्ततः । महाबाहु अर्जुने सब ओर अपने तीखे बाणोंसे शत्रुओंके मस्तक, हाथियोंके शुण्डदण्डों, घोड़ोंकी गर्दनों तथा रथके धुरोंको भी खण्डित कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | hastihastān hayagrīvān rathākṣāṃś ca samantataḥ | mahābāhur arjuno 'pi sarvataḥ sva-tīkṣṇa-bāṇaiḥ śatrūṇāṃ mastakāni hastināṃ śuṇḍa-daṇḍān aśvānāṃ grīvāś ca rathānāṃ dhurāṃś ca khaṇḍayām āsa |
Sañjaya said: On every side, the mighty-armed Arjuna, with his razor-sharp arrows, cut down the enemies’ heads, severed the trunks of elephants, struck through the necks of horses, and even shattered the yokes and axles of chariots. The scene underscores the terrifying efficiency of a warrior’s skill when yoked to a grim duty in war—power used not for cruelty, but to fulfill a chosen obligation amid the moral darkness of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the formidable power of martial skill and the sobering reality that, in a dharma-framed war, a warrior’s excellence can become an instrument of harsh necessity. It invites reflection on how duty (especially kṣatriya-dharma) can demand decisive action even amid moral pain.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s devastating effectiveness in battle: with sharp arrows he strikes down enemy fighters and disables war assets—severing heads, cutting elephant trunks and horse necks, and breaking chariot components such as yokes and axles—thereby collapsing the enemy’s fighting capacity from all sides.