Shloka 28
Ulūpī–Citravāhinī Saṃvāda: Dhanaṃjaya-patana and Prāya-threat
तस्य पार्थ: शरैंदिव्यैर्ध्वजं हेमपरिष्कृतम् । सुवर्णतालप्रतिमं क्षुरेणापाहरद् रथात्
tasya pārthaḥ śaraiḥ divyaiḥ dhvajaṃ hemapariṣkṛtam | suvarṇatālapratimaṃ kṣureṇāpāharad rathāt, rājan |
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: Kemudian Pārtha (Arjuna), dengan anak-anak panah ilahinya, menetak jatuh dari kereta perang panji yang dihias emas—menjulang seperti pohon palmyra keemasan—dengan peluru kṣura yang setajam mata pisau, wahai raja. Dalam serangan pantas yang sama, baginda juga menumbangkan kuda-kuda lawan yang gagah dan bersemangat tinggi.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined kṣatriya conduct in battle: decisive action aimed at disabling the enemy’s capacity to fight (standard and horses as symbols of morale and mobility), reflecting strategic restraint rather than chaotic violence.
Arjuna, in combat, uses a razor-edged divine missile to cut down the opponent’s gold-adorned banner from the chariot, and he also kills the opponent’s powerful horses, thereby crippling the chariot’s effectiveness.