Shloka 57
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
अप्राप्ता: सप्तभिभर्भल्लैश्विच्छेद परमास्त्रवित् ततः समादाय शरं सर्वकायविदारणम्
aprāptāḥ saptabhir bharbhallaiś viccheda-paramāstravit tataḥ samādāya śaraṃ sarva-kāya-vidāraṇam
Wika ni Sañjaya: Bago pa man sila makalapit, pinutol niya ang mga iyon sa pamamagitan ng pitong matutulis na palaso, ipinakikita ang ganap na kahusayan sa pagwasak ng mga lumilipad na sandata. Pagkaraan, kumuha siya ng isa pang palaso—yaong kayang punitin ang buong katawan—isang pag-igting sa bangis ng labanan at paalala na ang galing, kapag ikinabit sa digmaan, ay nagiging puwersang mabilis at may bungang di na maibabalik.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary competence in warfare can rapidly magnify harm: mastery (astravit) enables decisive interception and then escalation. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—skill and duty in battle versus the grave human cost that follows from their effective use.
In Sañjaya’s battlefield report, incoming missiles are cut down mid-flight with seven sharp arrows. Immediately afterward, the warrior takes up a more destructive arrow described as capable of rending the entire body, signaling a turn toward a deadlier strike.