Shloka 453
Droṇavadha-saṃniveśaḥ — The Convergence Toward Droṇa’s Fall
Book 7, Chapter 164
तदप्यस्य शितैर्भल्लैश्विच्छेद कुरुपुड्व: । इतना ही नहीं, उन पाण्डुकुमारने विप्रवर द्रोणाचार्यके विशाल धनुषको भी काट दिया। फिर क्षत्रियोंका मान-मर्दन करनेवाले द्रोणाचार्यने दूसरा धनुष हाथमें लिया। परंतु कुरुप्रवर युधिष्ठिरने अपने तीखे भल्लोंसे उसको भी काट दिया
tad apy asya śitaiḥ bhallaiś ciccheda kuru-puṅgavaḥ | itam hi na, te pāṇḍu-kumāreṇa vipra-vara-droṇācāryasya viśālaṃ dhanuṣo 'pi chinnaṃ | punaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ māna-mardanaḥ droṇācāryo dvitīyaṃ dhanuḥ pāṇau jagrāha | parantu kuru-pravara yudhiṣṭhireṇa sva-tīkṣṇa-bhallais tad api cicchinnaṃ ||
Sañjaya said: The foremost of the Kurus (Yudhiṣṭhira) cut that bow as well with sharp bhalla-arrows. Not only that—Pāṇḍu’s son even severed the great bow of the eminent Brahmin, Droṇācārya. Then Droṇa, famed for humbling the pride of kṣatriyas, took up another bow; but the best of the Kurus, Yudhiṣṭhira, again cut that one too with his keen bhallas. The episode highlights disciplined skill used to check a formidable teacher-warrior without needless excess, in the harsh constraints of dharma-bound warfare.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in violent circumstances like war, dharma emphasizes measured action: neutralize a threat effectively (here by severing the bow) rather than indulging in gratuitous harm. Skill and restraint together become an ethical form of force.
Sañjaya narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira repeatedly uses sharp bhalla-arrows to cut Droṇa’s bow—first the great bow and then a second one Droṇa takes up—thereby checking Droṇa’s offensive capacity on the battlefield.