Shloka 27
Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)
क्षुरप्रेण सुतीक्ष्णेन कार्मुक॑ चिच्छिदे भृूशम् । उन्हें व्यर्थ होकर पृथ्वीपर गिरा देख शिखण्डीने तीखे श्षुरप्रसे कृतवर्माके धनुषके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर डाले ।। अथीैनं छिन्नधन्वानं भग्नशुड्भमिवर्षभम्
kṣurapreṇa sutīkṣṇena kārmukaṃ cicchide bhṛśam | athainaṃ chinnadhanvānaṃ bhagnaśṛṅgam ivarṣabham ||
Disse Sañjaya: Com uma flecha de fio de navalha, agudíssima, ele cortou violentamente o arco. E, ao vê-lo com o arco decepado—como um touro de chifre quebrado—apertou o ataque. A cena ressalta a eficiência implacável da perícia no campo de batalha: desarmar o adversário torna-se um ato decisivo e eticamente carregado; a vitória é buscada pela maestria tática, não por mera fúria, embora tudo se desenrole na dura economia moral da guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, decisive outcomes often come from disabling an opponent’s means of fighting rather than only seeking direct killing; it reflects the grim discipline of kṣatriya warfare where skill and tactical restraint can be as determinative as brute force, even while the overall violence remains morally weighty.
A warrior uses a razor-headed arrow to cut the opponent’s bow, leaving him effectively disarmed; the disarmed fighter is compared to a bull with a broken horn, emphasizing sudden loss of power and vulnerability in the ongoing battle.