Shloka 44
विविंशतिं च विंशत्या विरथं कृतवान् प्रभु: । आजपघान भृशं चैव पज्चभिननतपर्वभि:
sañjaya uvāca | viviṁśatiṁ ca viṁśatyā virathaṁ kṛtavān prabhuḥ | ājaghāna bhṛśaṁ caiva pañcabhir natanataparvabhiḥ |
Disse Sañjaya: O poderoso Arjuna atingiu Viviṁśati com vinte flechas e o deixou sem carro. Em seguida, com cinco flechas de juntas recurvadas (hastes curvas ou nodosas), golpeou-o de novo com grande força, ferindo-o gravemente—um episódio que ressalta a eficiência implacável da perícia no campo de batalha, mesmo quando dirigida contra um adversário caído e vulnerável.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim logic of kṣatriya warfare: mastery and decisiveness can determine survival, yet such prowess also raises ethical tension—when a warrior is rendered chariotless and then further wounded, the narrative invites reflection on necessity, proportionality, and the hardening effect of war.
Sanjaya reports that Arjuna hits Viviṁśati with twenty arrows, depriving him of his chariot (viratha), and then strikes him again with five bent/knotted-jointed arrows, severely injuring him.