Shloka 263
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
अतीतेषुपथे काले जहार गदया शिर: । किसी वीरने अपने चक्रके द्वारा शत्रुपक्षीय वीरके चक्रका निवारण करके युद्धमें बाणप्रहारके योग्य अवसर न होनेके कारण गदासे ही उसका सिर उड़ा दिया
atīteṣu-pathe kāle jahāra gadayā śiraḥ |
Sañjaya said: When the moment for striking with arrows had passed and the opening in combat was gone, he severed the warrior’s head with his mace—showing how, in the press of battle, a fighter shifts means according to circumstance, even when the act is grim and final.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield pragmatism under kāla (the pressure of time): when one method (arrow-strike) is no longer feasible, a warrior adopts another (mace), reflecting the harsh demands of kṣatriya conduct in war.
Sañjaya reports that, after the opportunity for an arrow-attack had passed, the combatant used a mace to cut off the opponent’s head, indicating a decisive close-quarters finish.