Shloka 39

Devanagari script

हयांश्षास्य शितैर्बाणै: सारथिं च महाबल:,जघान मिषत: संख्ये भीमसेनस्य राक्षस: । साथ ही, उस महाबली निशाचरने युद्धमें भीमसेनके देखते-देखते पैने बाणोंद्वारा उनके सारथि और घोड़ोंको भी मार डाला

Transliteration

hayāṁś cāsya śitair bāṇaiḥ sārathiṁ ca mahābalaḥ | jaghāna miṣataḥ saṅkhye bhīmasenasya rākṣasaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Mitten im Kampf erschlug jener mächtige Rākṣasa mit scharfen Pfeilen Bhīmasenas Wagenlenker und seine Pferde—offen, vor Bhīmas eigenen Augen.

Word by Word

हयान्horses

चand

अस्यof him (i.e., of Bhimasena)

शितैःwith sharp

बाणैःarrows

सारथिम्charioteer

चand

महाबलःvery strong, mighty

जघानslew, struck down

मिषतःwhile (he) was looking on

संख्येin battle

भीमसेनस्यof Bhimasena

राक्षसःthe Rakshasa (demon)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīmasena (Bhīma)

rākṣasa (a demon-warrior)

sārathi (charioteer)

hayāḥ (horses)

bāṇāḥ (arrows)

saṅkhya (battlefield)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a grim ethical pressure-point of war: victory is pursued not only by confronting the main fighter but by destroying the supports that enable him to fight. It illustrates how battle can slide toward ruthless pragmatism, provoking escalating anger and vengeance, and thereby testing the boundaries of dharma under extreme conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a powerful rākṣasa, in the midst of combat, shoots sharp arrows that kill Bhīma’s charioteer and horses—right in front of Bhīma—thereby disabling Bhīma’s chariot and intensifying the confrontation.