Shloka 23
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
बहूनपि हयारोहान् भल््लै: संनतपर्वभि: । रथी जघान सम्प्राप्पय बाणगोचरमागतान्,इसी प्रकार एक-एक रथी झुकी हुई गाँठवाले भलल नामक बाणोंद्वारा निशानेपर आये हुए बहुत-से घुड़सवारोंका संहार कर डालता था
sañjaya uvāca | bahūn api hayārohān bhallaiḥ saṃnata-parvabhiḥ | rathī jaghāna samprāpya bāṇa-gocaram āgatān ||
サンジャヤは言った。多くの騎兵が矢の射程に入るや、戦車の武者はそれぞれ、節が折れ曲がった「バッラ（bhalla）」の矢で、狙いの中に正しく収まった者から次々と斬り倒した。かくして戦いが近距離の死闘へと締まりゆくとき、技と決意は戦場を瞬く間の殺戮へと変えていった。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim efficiency of warfare: once combatants enter one another’s effective range, trained warriors act decisively. Ethically, it reflects the Mahabharata’s tension between kṣatriya duty in battle and the human cost of violence.
Sanjaya describes the fighting: chariot-warriors, using bhalla arrows with bent knots, strike down many horsemen as soon as they come within arrow-shot—depicting close-range, lethal exchanges on the battlefield.