Shloka 23
Śalya-parva Adhyāya 26 — Duryodhana’s remnant formation and rapid engagements
सतु राजन् धनुश्कछित्त्वा पाण्डवस्य महामृथे । अथीैनं छिन्नथन्वानं विंशत्या समवाकिरत्,राजन्! उसने उस महासमरमें पाण्डुपुत्रके धनुषको काटकर कटे हुए धनुषवाले भीमसेनको बीस बाणोंसे घायल कर दिया
sa tu rājan dhanuś chittvā pāṇḍavasya mahāmṛdhe | athainaṃ chinnadhanvānaṃ viṃśatyā samavākirat ||
Sañjaya said: O King, in that great clash of battle, he cut the bow of the Pāṇḍava; then, seeing him with his bow severed, he showered him with twenty arrows, wounding him amid the fury of war. The episode underscores how, in the ethics of kṣatriya combat, disabling an opponent’s weapon is a decisive tactical act, yet the fight continues relentlessly within the accepted code of battlefield prowess.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos of decisive martial skill: disabling an opponent’s weapon can shift the battle’s balance, yet the struggle continues within the harsh, duty-bound framework of war where prowess and resolve are constantly tested.
In the midst of a major engagement, a warrior cuts the Pāṇḍava’s bow; then, as the Pāṇḍava stands with his bow severed, he is struck by a volley of twenty arrows.