Shloka 373
भूरिश्रवसः गर्हा, प्रायोपवेशः, सात्यकिकृतशिरच्छेदः
Bhūriśravas’s Censure, Prāyopaveśa, and Sātyaki’s Beheading
विव्याध निशितैस्तूर्ण सात्यकि: सत्यविक्रम: । तत्पश्चात् सत्यपराक्रमी सात्यकिने तिरसठ बाणोंसे उसके चारों घोड़ोंको और सात तीखे बाणोंसे उसके सारथिको भी शीघ्र ही क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | vivyādha niśitais tūrṇaṃ sātyakiḥ satyavikramaḥ | tatpaścāt satyaparākramaḥ sātyakine tirasathabāṇaiḥ tasya catvāro hayān sapta tīrṇabāṇaiś ca tasya sārathiṃ api śīghram eva kṣata-vikṣataṃ cakāra |
Sanjaya said: Satyaki, whose valor never failed, swiftly pierced his foe with sharp arrows. Then, displaying true prowess, he brought down the opponent’s four horses with sixty-three shafts and, with seven keen arrows, quickly wounded and mangled the charioteer as well—showing how, in the ruthless duty of the battlefield, crippling a chariot’s support becomes a decisive way to end resistance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the hard logic of kṣatriya-dharma in war: victory often depends on disabling the enemy’s mobility and support system (horses and charioteer). It reflects how duty-driven combat can prioritize decisive action over gentler ideals, underscoring the tragic moral tension inherent in battlefield righteousness.
Sanjaya reports that Satyaki rapidly strikes his opponent with sharp arrows, then specifically targets the chariot’s horses with sixty-three arrows and wounds the charioteer with seven more, effectively crippling the enemy chariot’s ability to fight or retreat.