Shloka 42
भीष्म-युधिष्ठिर-संमर्दः
Bhīṣma’s Pressure on Yudhiṣṭhira; Śikhaṇḍī’s Approach; Evening Withdrawal
क्षुरप्रेण सुतीक्ष्णेन प्रहसन्निव भारत । भारत! श्रुतकीर्ति जब बड़े जोर-जोरसे खींचकर अपने विशाल धनुषकी गम्भीर टंकार फैला रहा था, उसी समय रणभूमिमें आपके पुत्र जयत्सेनने हँसते हुए-से एक तीखे क्षुप्रद्वारा तुरंत उसका धनुष काट दिया ।। त॑ दृष्टवा छिन्नधन्वानं शतानीक: सहोदरम्
kṣurapreṇa sutīkṣṇena prahasann iva bhārata | śrutakīrtir yadā bhīmaṃ dhanuḥ śabdaṃ vitanvataḥ | tadā raṇe tava suto jayatseno hasann iva | kṣurapreṇāśu tac cāpaṃ ciccheda || taṃ dṛṣṭvā chinnadhanvānaṃ śatānīkaḥ sahodaram ||
三阇耶说道：“噢，婆罗多啊，当室卢多吉尔底奋力挽起巨弓，使那深沉的弓弦轰鸣传遍战场之时，正当其刻，你的儿子阇耶特塞那——几如含笑——以一支锋利如剃刀的锐箭，迅疾将其弓截断。见兄弟室卢多吉尔底弓已断而立，沙塔尼迦便……”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly battlefield fortunes turn: confidence and display (the bow’s thunderous twang) can be instantly checked by skillful counteraction. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning against overconfidence and the fragility of martial pride amid dharma-bound warfare.
Śrutakīrti is dramatically drawing and sounding his powerful bow. Jayatsena, Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son, promptly cuts Śrutakīrti’s bow with a sharp kṣurapra arrow, leaving him ‘bowless.’ Śatānīka then sees his brother in that state, setting up the next action.