Shloka 12
दण्डधारवधः | The Slaying of Daṇḍadhāra
श्रुतकर्मा ततो राजन् शत्रुणा समभिद्रुत: । शत्रुसंवारणं क्रुद्धों द्विधा चिच्छेद कार्मुकम्,राजन! शत्रुके द्वारा इस प्रकार आक्रान्त होनेपर श्रुतकर्मा कुपित हो उठा और उसने राजा चित्रसेनके शत्रु-निवारक धनुषके दो टुकड़े कर डाले
śrutakarmā tato rājan śatruṇā samabhidrutaḥ | śatrusaṃvāraṇaṃ kruddho dvidhā ciccheda kārmukam ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Śrutakarmā—assailed headlong by his foe—flared up in wrath and cut in two the enemy-checking bow (of his opponent). The episode underscores how, in the press of battle, anger and tactical urgency drive warriors to disable an adversary’s means of attack rather than merely trade blows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In battlefield ethics and kṣatriya practice, disabling an opponent’s weapon is a decisive tactic; the verse also cautions that anger (krodha) can intensify violence, turning combat into swift escalation rather than measured engagement.
Śrutakarmā is attacked by an enemy; becoming enraged, he responds by cutting the opponent’s bow—described as ‘enemy-restraining’—into two pieces, thereby neutralizing the foe’s immediate offensive capacity.