Shloka 33
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 125: Duryodhana’s despair and vow after Jayadratha’s fall (जयद्रथवधे दुर्योधनविलापः)
ध्वजं च रथशक्ति च भल्लाभ्यां परमास्त्रवित् | चिच्छेद विशिखैस्ती क्ष्णस्तथो भौ पार्ष्णिसारथी,तदनन्तर महान् अस्त्रवेत्ता सात्यकिने एक भल्लसे दुःशासनका धनुष, पाँचसे उसके दस्ताने तथा दो भल्लोंसे उसकी ध्वजा एवं रथशक्तिके भी टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दिये। इतना ही नहीं, उन्होंने तीखे बाणोंद्वारा उसके दोनों पारश्वचरक्षकोंको भी मार डाला
dhvajaṃ ca rathaśaktiṃ ca bhallābhyāṃ paramāstravit | ciccheda viśikhaiḥ tīkṣṇas tathobhau pārṣṇisārathī ||
Sañjaya said: The supreme master of missiles struck with two bhalla arrows and severed both the banner and the ratha-śakti (the spear kept for use from the chariot). Then, with sharp shafts, he also cut down the two flank-guards of the chariot. The scene underscores the ruthless precision of battlefield skill: in war, disabling the enemy’s symbols (banner), weapons (chariot-spear), and protectors is a direct way to break morale and capacity, even as it deepens the tragic cost of kṣatriya duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare targets not only bodies but also symbols and supports—banner, weapons, and guards—showing the strategic dismantling of an opponent’s strength. Ethically, it reflects the grim tension within kṣatriya-dharma: duty-bound combat executed with skill, yet carrying heavy human and moral cost.
Sañjaya describes a master archer who, using two broad-headed arrows, cuts down the enemy’s banner and the chariot-spear, and then with sharp arrows kills the two flank-guards/chariot-protectors, thereby crippling the opponent’s chariot unit.