Shloka 72
वधार्थ चास्य समरे सायकं सूर्यवर्चसम् । चिक्षेप त्वरया युक्तस्त्वराकाले धनंजय:,साथ ही शीघ्रताके अवसरपर शीघ्रता करनेवाले अर्जुनने समरभूमिमें सूतपुत्रका वध करनेके लिये उसके ऊपर सूर्यके समान तेजस्वी बाण चलाया
vadhārthaṃ cāsya samare sāyakaṃ sūryavarcasaṃ | cikṣepa tvarayā yuktaḥ tvarākāle dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, intent on his death in the midst of battle, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)—swift to act when speed was demanded—hurled at him a sun-bright arrow. The moment underscores the grim ethic of war: once a foe is judged a legitimate target within the rules of combat, decisive action is taken without delay, even as the act remains morally weighty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic that a kṣatriya must act decisively at the critical moment. When the situation demands swift action and the opponent is treated as a valid combatant, hesitation is portrayed as a failure of duty, even though the act of killing remains morally grave.
Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), seizing the urgent moment, launches a radiant, sun-like arrow in battle with the intent to kill his opponent.