Shloka 343
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
अपहस्तेन चिच्छेद शैनेयस्त्वरयान्वित: । युद्धके उस महान् रंगस्थलमें श्रेष्ठ खड़ग धारण करके विचरते हुए विन्दको सात्यकिने तिरछे हाथसे शीघ्रतापूर्वक काट डाला
apahastena ciccheda śaineyas tvarayānvitāḥ |
Sanjaya berkata: Dengan satu tebasan serong yang pantas, Śaineya—bergerak dengan kelajuan besar—menumbangkan Vindaka ketika dia berkeliaran di medan perang sambil menggenggam pedang yang unggul.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral landscape of war: a warrior’s skill and swiftness can be decisive, yet such acts occur within the larger frame of svadharma—chosen duty—where courage and resolve are praised even as the violence remains tragic.
Sañjaya reports that Śaineya (Sātyaki), moving quickly, strikes Vindaka with an oblique hand-stroke and cuts him down while Vindaka is moving about the battlefield wielding a sword.