Shloka 14
नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च
Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault
अथास्य सशरं चापं मुष्टिदेशेडच्छिनत् तदा । ध्वजं च त्वरितं छित्त्वा रथाद् भूमावपातयत्
athāsya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ muṣṭideśe 'cchinat tadā | dhvajaṃ ca tvaritaṃ chittvā rathād bhūmāv apātayat ||
Sañjaya said: Then, in that very moment, he cut off his bow together with the arrow at the grip. Swiftly severing the banner as well, he caused it to fall from the chariot onto the ground. The scene underscores the ruthless precision of battlefield skill—disarming an opponent and stripping him of his emblem of honor—where prowess and strategy eclipse mercy amid the demands of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, technical mastery can decisively neutralize an opponent—disarming him and toppling his banner (a symbol of status and morale). Ethically, it reflects the epic’s tension: kṣatriya-duty demands effectiveness in battle, even when it entails humiliating or crippling the enemy’s capacity to fight.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s rapid strike: he severs the opponent’s bow at the very grip while it still bears an arrow, and then cuts down the chariot’s banner, making it fall to the ground—an act that both disables and symbolically diminishes the foe.