Shloka 22
त्रिपुरदाह-इतिहासः
Tripura-destruction exemplum and counsel to Śalya
तस्याश्वान् केतनं सूतं तिलशो व्यधमच्छरै: । स्यथालस्तव महाराज तत उच्चुक्रुशुर्जना:
tasyāśvān ketanaṃ sūtaṃ tilaśo vyadhamac charaiḥ | syathālas tava mahārāja tata uccukruśur janāḥ ||
قال سنجيا: ثم إن صهرك أجهز على خيل خصمه، وعلى الراية وسائق العربة أيضًا، فقطّعها بسهامه تقطيعًا. وعند ذلك المنظر، أيها الملك العظيم، أطلق المحاربون والناظرون صيحةً مدوّية من الابتهاج، يهلّلون لما بدا من بأسٍ في قسوة ساحة القتال.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how battlefield success is publicly validated: the destruction of key supports of a chariot—horses, banner, and charioteer—becomes a measure of martial superiority, prompting collective acclaim. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between kṣatriya valor and the grim reality that victory often rests on disabling an enemy’s means rather than engaging in idealized combat.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the king’s brother-in-law (as referenced in the Hindi gloss) strikes down an opponent’s horses, banner, and charioteer with arrows, cutting them apart. The surrounding warriors/onlookers respond with loud, celebratory shouts.