Shloka 353
जीवितान्तकरं घोरं व्यसृजत्त्वरयान्वित: । तत्पश्चात् प्रहार करनेवाले योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ कृतवर्माने उसके ऊपर समरांगणमें बड़ी उतावलीके साथ एक भयंकर प्राणान्तकारी बाण छोड़ा
sañjaya uvāca | jīvitāntakaraṃ ghoraṃ vyasṛjat tvarayānvitaḥ | tatpaścāt prahāra-karṇevāle yoddhāoṃ meṃ śreṣṭha kṛtavarmāne tasya upari samarāṅgaṇe baṛī utāvalīke sātha eka bhayaṅkara prāṇāntakārī bāṇa choṛā |
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Pagkatapos, sa madilim na pagmamadali, pinakawalan niya ang isang kakila-kilabot na sandatang makapagtatapos ng buhay. At sumunod, si Kṛtavarmā—pinakamagaling sa mga mandirigmang bihasa sa paglusob—ay sa gitna ng labanan, sa matinding pagdali, nagpapana sa kanya ng isang nakapanghihilakbot na palasong pumapatay.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: valor and skill are praised, yet the action described is explicitly life-ending, reminding the listener that battlefield excellence operates within a tragic economy of death and urgency.
Sanjaya reports a rapid escalation in combat: a dreadful, fatal weapon is released, and then Kṛtavarmā—renowned for effective striking—swiftly shoots a terrifying, deadly arrow at his opponent on the battlefield.