Shloka 38
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
विरथं तं समालोक्य हताश्वं हतसारथिम् । महता शरवर्षेण च्छादयामास संयुगे,भूरिश्रवाने धृष्टकेतुको घोड़े और सारथिके मारे जानेसे रथहीन हुआ देख युद्धस्थलमें बाणोंकी बड़ी भारी वर्षा करके ढक दिया
virathaṃ taṃ samālokya hatāśvaṃ hatasārathim | mahatā śaravarṣeṇa cchādayāmāsa saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya sprach: Als er ihn wagenlos sah — die Pferde erschlagen und den Lenker getötet —, bedeckte Bhūriśravas Dhṛṣṭaketu im Kampf mit einem gewaltigen Pfeilhagel.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral strain of battlefield conduct: when an opponent becomes disadvantaged (chariotless, without horses and charioteer), the warrior’s duty to press the fight collides with ideals of fairness and restraint. It frames the Mahābhārata’s recurring question—how dharma is to be upheld amid the compulsions of war.
Dṛṣṭaketu notices Bhūriśravas has become chariotless because his horses and charioteer have been killed. Taking advantage of this exposed state, he unleashes a heavy barrage of arrows, effectively covering/overwhelming him on the battlefield, as reported by Sañjaya.