Shloka 6
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 109 — Karṇa–Bhīma Yuddha and Durmukha’s Fall (कर्णभीमयुद्धम्; दुर्मुखवधः)
ततो5परेण भल्लेन पीतेन निशितेन च । जहार नृपते: कायाच्छिरो ज्वलितकुण्डलम्,इसके बाद दूसरे पानीदार तीखे भल्लसे राजा क्षेमधूर्तिके प्रज्वलित कुण्डलोंवाले मस्तकको धड़से अलग कर दिया
tato 'pareṇa bhallena pītena niśitena ca | jahāra nṛpateḥ kāyāc chiro jvalita-kuṇḍalam ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian, dengan sebatang lagi anak panah bhalla yang tajam dan berkilau, dia memenggal kepala sang raja—berhias subang yang menyala—daripada tubuhnya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark reality of war: decisive action brings irreversible outcomes. In the Mahabharata’s ethical frame, such violence is not celebrated for its own sake but presented as the grave cost of conflict, raising awareness of responsibility, restraint, and the heavy burden of kṣatriya-duty.
Sanjaya reports that a combatant uses a second, sharp bhalla-arrow to cut off a king’s head, described as shining with earrings, separating it from the body—an emphatic depiction of a fatal strike in the Drona Parva battle.