Shloka 42
अर्जुनस्य द्रोणिप्रतिघातः कर्णोपसर्पणं च
Arjuna Checks Droṇaputra; Karṇa Advances
थनुश्विच्छेद भल््लेन जघानाश्रांश्व सप्तभि: । ध्वजमेकेषुणोन्मथ्य त्रिभिस्तं हृद्यताडयत्
sañjaya uvāca | dhanuḥ-śviccheda-bhallena jaghānāśrāṃś ca saptabhiḥ | dhvajam ekeṣuṇonmathya tribhis taṃ hṛdi atāḍayat ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dengan sebatang anak panah bhalla yang tajam seperti pisau, dia memutuskan busur itu; dan dengan tujuh batang dia menumbangkan kuda-kuda. Dengan satu anak panah dia mencabut roboh panji, lalu dengan tiga lagi dia menikam dada Vṛṣasena—suatu babak yang menonjolkan ketepatan kejam kemahiran medan perang, di mana keperkasaan diukur dengan melumpuhkan alat tempur musuh, bukan dengan menahan diri.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya-dharma: victory is pursued through decisive, technically precise action—disabling the opponent’s mobility (horses), weapon (bow), and morale-symbol (banner)—even when such efficiency entails severe violence.
In the clash described by Sañjaya, the attacker cuts the opponent’s bow with a bhalla arrow, kills the horses with seven arrows, knocks down the banner with one arrow, and then strikes Vṛṣasena in the chest with three arrows; the accompanying tradition identifies the charioteer as also being slain in this sequence.