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 |
Sañjaya sprach: „Rasch traf er ihn mit einem Bhalla-Pfeil, tötete ihn, und der Mann stürzte zu Boden. Danach versetzte Sātyaki — der Vortrefflichste unter den Wagenkämpfern — dem Wagenlenker deines Sohnes schnell einen Bhalla-Schuss. Getroffen starb der Lenker und brach auf die Erde nieder.“
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.