Shloka 40
Chapter 30: Formation Disruption, Competing War-Cries, and Nīla’s Fall
Droṇa-parva
न च द्वितीयं व्यसृजत् कुण्जराश्वनरेषु सः । पृथगेकशरारुग्णा निपेतुस्ते गतासव:,हाथी, घोड़े और मनुष्योंपर अर्जुन दूसरा बाण नहीं छोड़ते थे। वे सब-के-सब पृथक्- पृथक् एक ही बाणसे घायल हो प्राणशून्य होकर धरतीपर गिर पड़ते थे
na ca dvitīyaṃ vyasṛjat kuñjarāśvanareṣu saḥ | pṛthag ekaśarārugṇā nipetuste gatāsavaḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。「彼は象にも馬にも人にも、二の矢を放たなかった。各々が別々に、ただ一矢で傷を負い、命を失って地に倒れた。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim efficiency of war: extraordinary skill can make destruction swift and decisive. In the Mahabharata’s ethical frame, such prowess is tied to kṣatriya-duty, yet it also underscores the heavy human cost that accompanies righteous or strategic combat.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna is striking so accurately that he does not need a second arrow. Elephants, horses, and warriors are each felled individually by a single shot and collapse lifeless on the battlefield.