Shloka 21
Bhagadattā’s Deployment Against Ghaṭotkaca; Elephant-Corps Escalation
धनु: प्रपीड्य वामेन करेणामित्रकर्शन: । शिरक्षिच्छेद समरे शरेणानतपर्वणा
dhanuḥ prapīḍya vāmena kareṇāmitrakarśanaḥ | śiraś ciccheda samare śareṇānataparvaṇā ||
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇടങ്കൈകൊണ്ട് ധനുസ്സിനെ ദൃഢമായി അമർത്തിപ്പിടിച്ച്, അമിത്രകർഷകൻ സമരമദ്ധ്യേ അനതപർവ ശരംകൊണ്ട് എതിരാളിയുടെ ശിരഛേദം ചെയ്തു।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark moral gravity of warfare: when a warrior commits to battle as duty, actions become swift and irreversible, highlighting both the discipline of martial skill and the heavy ethical cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment where a warrior, bracing his bow with the left hand, releases a well-forged arrow and decapitates an opponent in combat.