Shloka 12
तत् तस्य लाघवं ज्ञात्वा भीमो भल्लैस्त्रिभिस्त्रिभि: | धनुर्ध्वजं च च्छत्र॑ च क्षितौ क्षिप्रमपातयत्,उसकी इस फुर्तीको देख और समझकर भीमसेनने तीन-तीन भल्लोंद्वारा उसके धनुष, ध्वज और छत्रको शीघ्र ही पृथ्वीपर काट गिराया
tat tasya lāghavaṁ jñātvā bhīmo bhallais tribhis tribhiḥ | dhanur-dhvajaṁ ca chatraṁ ca kṣitau kṣipram apātayat ||
Sañjaya said: Recognizing the swiftness and agility of his opponent, Bhīma swiftly struck with sets of three bhalla-arrows, cutting down his bow, his banner, and his parasol, and made them fall to the ground. In the brutal ethics of battlefield conduct, this is a tactical act of disabling and humiliating an armed foe by stripping away both weapon and royal insignia, asserting dominance while reducing the enemy’s capacity to fight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where skill is used not only to wound but to disable: by severing bow and insignia, Bhīma reduces the opponent’s fighting capacity and publicly asserts superiority. It reflects kṣatriya conduct emphasizing decisive action, tactical intelligence, and the symbolic importance of royal emblems in war.
Sañjaya narrates that Bhīma, having assessed the opponent’s agility, fires bhalla-arrows in sets of three and quickly cuts down the opponent’s bow, banner, and parasol, making them fall to the ground—an act that both disarms and dishonors the foe.