Shloka 7
Karṇa’s Camp-Council Discourse: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament, Sañjaya’s Counsel, and Karṇa’s Request for Śalya
Book 8, Chapter 22
समार्गणगुणं चापं छित्त्वा तस्यप महानसि: । निपपात ततो भूमौ च्युत: सर्प इवाम्बरात्,उनकी वह लंबी तलवार दुःशासनके धनुष, बाण और प्रत्यंचाकों काटकर आकाशसे भ्रष्ट हुए सर्पकी भाँति वहाँ पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ी
samārgaṇaguṇaṃ cāpaṃ chittvā tasya mahān asiḥ | nipapāta tato bhūmau cyutaḥ sarpa ivāmbarāt ||
Sañjaya nói: “Thanh kiếm hùng mạnh ấy chém đứt cây cung đang giương căng của hắn—cùng mọi bộ phận gắn liền. Rồi nó rơi xuống đất, như con rắn rơi khỏi trời cao.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the ethics of kṣatriya warfare, victory is often achieved by neutralizing the opponent’s capacity to fight; the verse highlights decisive skill—disarming rather than merely striking—showing controlled, purposeful force within the battlefield code.
Sañjaya describes a combat moment where a mighty sword severs an opponent’s well-strung bow (and its fittings). The sword then drops to the ground, compared poetically to a serpent falling from the sky.