Shloka 22
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
अथापरेण भल्ल्लेन धनुश्चिच्छेद मारिष । सारथिं चास्य समरे क्षिप्रहस्तो न््यपातयत्,आर्य! फिर दूसरे भललसे उसका धनुष काट दिया और अपने हाथोंकी फुर्ती दिखाते हुए समरमें उसके सारथिको भी मार गिराया
athāpareṇa bhallena dhanuś ciccheda māriṣa | sārathiṃ cāsya samare kṣiprahasto nyapātayat ||
Sañjaya sprach: Dann zerschnitt er, o Ehrwürdiger, mit einem weiteren scharfen Pfeil den Bogen des Gegners. Und, schnell von der Hand im Getümmel, streckte er auch dessen Wagenlenker nieder—ein Zeichen entschlossener Kriegskunst inmitten der düsteren Pflichten des Krieges.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: skill and speed can decisively disable an opponent (by cutting the bow) and shift the battle’s balance (by felling the charioteer). Ethically, it reflects how, within the war-code, tactical acts are treated as duty-bound necessities even though they carry grave human cost.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior shoots another bhalla-arrow, severs the enemy’s bow, and then quickly strikes down the enemy’s charioteer in the midst of combat.