Shloka 13
Kṛtavarmā–Sātyaki Chariot Duel and Kaurava Morale Shock (कृतवर्म-सात्यकि-द्वैरथम्)
तमापतन्तं सहसा तु दृष्टवा पाज्चालपुत्र युधि राजसिंह: । त॑ वै द्विपं प्रेषयामास तूर्ण वधाय राजन द्रुपदात्मजस्य
tam āpatantaṃ sahasā tu dṛṣṭvā pāñcālaputra yudhi rājasimhaḥ | taṃ vai dvipaṃ preṣayāmāsa tūrṇaṃ vadhāya rājan drupadātmajasya ||
Sañjaya sprach: Als Śālva, der Löwe unter den Königen, den Sohn von Pāñcāla plötzlich im Kampf heranstürmen sah, schickte er, o König, jenen Elefanten eilends gegen ihn aus, in der Absicht, Drupadas Sohn zu töten.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: swift perception and decisive action are praised as royal virtues, yet they are employed toward lethal ends. It reflects how, in the Kurukṣetra context, duty and strategy often override compassion, revealing the grim moral cost of war.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the Pāñcāla prince and son of Drupada, suddenly charges in battle. Observing this, the king Śālva promptly sends an elephant against him with the aim of killing him, as Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.