Shloka 303

Devanagari script

विव्याध दशभिस्तूर्ण ध्वजं चिच्छेद चेषुणा । तब दुर्योधनने कुपित होकर झुकी हुई गाँठवाले दस बाणोंद्वारा तुरंत ही युधिष्ठिरको घायल कर दिया और एक बाणसे उनका ध्वज भी काट डाला

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | vivyādha daśabhis tūrṇaṃ dhvajaṃ ciccheda ceṣuṇā |

Translation

Sanjaya berkata: Dalam bahang pertempuran, dia segera menikam lawannya dengan sepuluh anak panah, dan dengan sebatang anak panah sahaja memutuskan panji. Tindakan itu bukan sekadar mencederakan tubuh, tetapi juga menyerang maruah diraja dan semangat tempur, kerana panji yang tumbang menggoncang tekad dan mengisytiharkan keunggulan.

Word by Word

विव्याधpierced/wounded

दशभिःwith ten

तूर्णम्swiftly, at once

ध्वजम्banner/standard

चिच्छेदcut off, severed

चand

इषुणाwith an arrow

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

dhvaja (banner/standard)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where victory is pursued not only by wounding the opponent but also by breaking symbols of status and courage (the dhvaja). It reflects how kshatriya warfare targets both body and morale, raising ethical tension between valor and the harshness of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports a rapid exchange in which a warrior strikes swiftly with ten arrows and then cuts down the opponent’s banner with a single arrow, a dramatic gesture meant to disgrace and destabilize the enemy’s side.