Shloka 28
Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ
Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements
हताश्व॑ं च समालक्ष्य हतसूतमरिंदम
hatāśvaṃ ca samālakṣya hatasūtam ariṃdama
قال سنجيا: إذ رأى العربة وقد فُقِدت خيولُها وقُتِل سائقُها، يا قاهرَ الأعداء، أدرك المنعطف اليائس في القتال—صورةً تُبيّن أن البأس في الحرب لا يُمتحَن بالقوة وحدها، بل بانهيار السند والنظام أيضًا.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic: a warrior’s effectiveness depends on the integrity of his supports (horses, charioteer, order). When these are destroyed, the situation becomes a moral and strategic crisis, testing steadiness, judgment, and adherence to kṣatriya-dharma under sudden reversal.
Sañjaya reports that a chariot is seen in a disabled state—its horses killed and its charioteer slain—signaling a decisive setback in the ongoing combat and setting up the next actions taken in response to that vulnerability.