Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 7
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
त्रिभि: शारद्वतं विद्धवा रुक्मपुड्खै: शिलाशितै: । चतुर्भिनिजघानाश्वान् नाराचै: कृतवर्मण:
tribhiḥ śāradvatam viddhvā rukmapuṅkhaiḥ śilāśitaiḥ | caturbhir nijaghānāśvān nārācaiḥ kṛtavarmaṇaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Nachdem er Śāradvata (Kṛpa) mit drei Pfeilen—goldbefiedert und am Stein geschärft—durchbohrt hatte, streckte er sodann mit vier nārāca-Geschossen die Pferde Kṛtavarmans nieder.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in dharma-yuddha narratives, martial excellence often expresses itself through tactical choices—such as disabling an opponent’s chariot by killing the horses—while simultaneously reminding the listener of the grave ethical cost inherent in warfare.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior first wounds Kṛpa (Śāradvata) with three stone-honed, golden-feathered arrows, and then uses four heavy nārāca shafts to kill the horses of Kṛtavarman, effectively impairing his movement and combat capacity.