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
三阇耶说道：它们尚未及身，他便以七支锐箭将之尽数斩落，显出截断飞射之兵的圆熟神技。继而他又取一矢——足以撕裂通体之矢——战势愈加凶猛，也昭示：技艺一旦系于战争，便成迅疾而不可逆转的力量。
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.