Shloka 44
जयद्रथवधः — The Slaying of Jayadratha
Sunset Vow and Curse-Condition
शतशो< भ्यपतंस्तत्र व्यसवो वसुधातले । वे बाण उनके शरीरोंको विदीर्ण करके पृथ्वीमें घुस गये। वीर सात्यकिके द्वारा रणभूमिमें आहत होकर सैकड़ों म्लेच्छ प्राण त्यागकर धराशायी हो गये ।। ४३ $ ।। सुपूर्णायतमुक्तैस्तानव्यवच्छिन्नपिण्डितै:
śataśo 'bhyapataṃs tatra vyasavo vasudhātale | te bāṇāḥ śarīrāṇi vidīrya pṛthivīṃ praviśan | vīra-sātyakinā raṇabhūmau āhatāḥ śataśo mlecchāḥ prāṇān tyaktvā dharāśayā babhūvuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: There, by the hundreds, lifeless bodies fell upon the earth. The arrows, having torn through their bodies, plunged into the ground. Struck on the battlefield by the hero Sātyaki, hundreds of the mleccha warriors gave up their lives and collapsed. The scene underscores the grim, impersonal momentum of war—where prowess and duty drive action, yet the cost is measured in lives abruptly ended.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark reality of war: valor and duty (kṣatriya-dharma) propel warriors into action, yet the ethical weight of conflict is seen in the mass loss of life. It invites reflection on responsibility, consequence, and the tragic cost that accompanies martial excellence.
Sañjaya describes Sātyaki’s onslaught: arrows pierce through fighters and sink into the earth, while hundreds of mleccha warriors, struck down by Sātyaki on the battlefield, die and fall to the ground.