Shloka 41
ततोअस्य निशितैर्बाणैस्त्रिभिविंव्याध सारथिम् । राजन! दुर्मुखने बारह बाणोंसे सात्यकिको क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया। भारत! इसके बाद दुर्योधनने तिहत्तर बाणोंसे युयुधानको घायल करके तीन पैने बाणोंद्वारा उनके सारथिको भी बींध डाला || ४० ई || तान् सर्वान् सहितान् शूरान् यतमानान् महारथान्
tato 'sya niśitair bāṇais tribhir vivyādha sārathim |
Sañjaya said: Thereafter, with three sharp arrows he pierced that warrior’s charioteer. In the harsh dharma of the battlefield, even a combatant’s support—such as the driver who keeps the chariot in motion—becomes a strategic target, as each side strives to cripple the other’s power to fight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh logic of kṣatriya warfare: victory often depends on disabling an opponent’s means of fighting, and the charioteer—though not the principal hero—can be targeted as part of battlefield strategy. It invites reflection on how dharma in war can prioritize duty and outcome over ordinary moral intuitions.
Sañjaya reports that, after earlier exchanges, a fighter shoots three sharp arrows and pierces the opponent’s charioteer, aiming to impair the enemy chariot’s mobility and effectiveness in combat.