Shloka 426
अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel
आजघानाशु भल्लेन स हतो न्यपतद् भुवि । तत्पश्चात् रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ सात्यकिने आपके पुत्रके सारथिके ऊपर शीघ्र ही एक भल्लका प्रहार किया। सारथि उसके द्वारा मारा जाकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
ājaghānāśu bhallena sa hato nyapatad bhuvi | tatpaścāt rathiyāṃ meṃ śreṣṭhaḥ sātyakine āpake putrasya sārathike upari śīghraṃ eva eka-bhallaka-prahāraṃ kṛtavān | sārathiḥ tena mṛtaḥ pṛthivīṃ papāta |
قال سنجيا: «فضربه سريعًا بسهمٍ من نوع بهلّا (bhalla)، فقتله، فسقط الرجل على الأرض. ثم إن ساتياكي—وهو أبرع فرسان المركبات—أطلق على عَجَلٍ سهمَ بهلّا على سائق مركبة ابنك. فأصابه فمات، وخرَّ على وجه الأرض».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: decisive action and martial skill can instantly change outcomes, and even supporting roles like a charioteer are crucial to a warrior’s effectiveness. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between duty in war and the human cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior is swiftly struck down by a bhalla arrow and falls. Immediately afterward, Sātyaki, renowned among chariot-fighters, shoots a bhalla at the charioteer of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son; the charioteer is killed and falls to the ground.