Shloka 356
Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption
सध्वजं कार्मुकं वीरश्छित्त्वा भूमावपातयत् । तदनन्तर दो ही घड़ीमें पराक्रमी वीर अभिमन्युने एक बाण मारकर कर्णके ध्वजसहित धनुषको पृथ्वीपर काट गिराया
sadhvajaṃ kārmukaṃ vīraś chittvā bhūmāv apātayat |
Sanjaya said: The heroic warrior cut down the bow together with its banner and made it fall to the ground. In the flow of battle, this act signals not only physical prowess but also the tactical and moral aim of disabling an opponent’s capacity to fight by stripping away his weapon and emblem of martial pride.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a dharmic battlefield context, valor is shown not merely by killing but by decisive, proportionate action that neutralizes an enemy’s ability to fight—here, by felling the bow and its banner, symbols of both power and prestige.
Sanjaya reports that a warrior severs an opponent’s bow along with its banner and brings it down to the ground, a vivid battlefield moment emphasizing superior archery and the turning of advantage through disarming.