Shloka 23
Kuntī–Sūrya-saṃvāda: Autonomy, Reputation, and the Promise of Karṇa
तृतीयेन तु बाणेन पृथुधारेण भास्वता । जहार सुनसं चापि शिरो भ्राजिष्णुकुण्डलम्,तत्पश्चात् मोटी धारवाले और चमकीले तीसरे बाणसे उन्होंने सुन्दर नासिका और शोभाशाली कुण्डलोंसे विभूषित शत्रुके मस्तकको भी धड़से अलग कर दिया
tṛtīyena tu bāṇena pṛthudhāreṇa bhāsvatā | jahāra sunasaṃ cāpi śiro bhrājiṣṇukuṇḍalam ||
Mārkaṇḍeya nói: Rồi với mũi tên thứ ba—lưỡi rộng và rực sáng—chàng đánh trúng và chém lìa đầu kẻ địch khỏi thân, cái đầu có sống mũi tuấn tú và được điểm trang bằng đôi khuyên tai lấp lánh.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the uncompromising finality of warfare once it is joined: skill and resolve culminate in decisive action, reminding the listener that violence, even when framed within a warrior code, carries stark and irreversible outcomes.
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration, a warrior releases a third, broad-edged, radiant arrow that cuts off the opponent’s head—described as handsome and ornamented with shining earrings—severing it from the body.