Shloka 14

दण्डधारवधः | The Slaying of Daṇḍadhāra

Devanagari script

ततो5परेण भल्लेन तीक्ष्णेन निशितेन च | जहार सशिरस्त्राणं शिरस्तस्य महात्मन:,तदनन्तर एक पैनी धारवाले तीखे भल्लसे उसने महामना चित्रसेनके शिरस्त्राणसहित मस्तकको काट लिया इति श्रीमहा भारते कर्णपर्वणि चित्रवधे चतुर्दशो5ध्याय:

Transliteration

tato'pareṇa bhallena tīkṣṇena niśitena ca | jahāra saśirastrāṇaṁ śirastasya mahātmanaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, with another arrow—a sharp, keen-edged bhalla—he severed and carried off the head of that great-souled warrior, cutting it down together with its helmet. The verse underscores the grim exactitude of battlefield skill, where valor and fate unfold through ruthless, irreversible acts.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

अपरेणwith another (one)

भल्लेनwith a bhalla-arrow

तीक्ष्णेनsharp

निशितेनwhetted, keen-edged

चand

जहारhe took away / removed

स-शिरस्त्राणम्together with the head-armor (helmet)

शिरःhead

तस्यof him

महात्मनःof the great-souled one

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

bhalla (arrow)

helmet (śirastrāṇa)

head (śiraḥ)

mahātmā (the noble warrior, contextually Citraseṇa in this episode)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh reality of dharma on the battlefield: martial excellence and resolve can culminate in decisive, irreversible outcomes. It invites reflection on the ethical tension in kṣatriya-duty—where courage and skill operate within a world of lethal consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates a moment of combat in which a warrior uses a sharp bhalla-arrow to sever the opponent’s head, cutting it off along with the helmet—marking a climactic killing blow in the episode of Citraseṇa’s slaying (citravadha).