Shloka 33
Somadatta–Sātyaki Engagement; Bhīma’s Interventions; Droṇa–Yudhiṣṭhira Astra Exchange
Book 7, Chapter 132
ससम्भ्रममिदं वाक्यमब्रवीत् कुरुनन्दन: । उस समय आपका पुत्र कुरुनन्दन दुर्योधन क्रोधसे लाल आँखें करके घबराहटके स्वरमें द्रोणाचार्यसे इस प्रकार बोला--,सारथिं चास्य भल्लेन रथनीडादपाहरत् । ततो<विध्यच्छरैस्ती #णै क्षतुर्भि क्षतुरो हयान्
sa-sambhramam idaṁ vākyam abravīt kurunandanaḥ | sārathiṁ cāsya bhallena ratha-nīḍād apāharat | tato ’vidhyac charais tīkṣṇaiś caturbhiś caturaḥ hayān ||
Sañjaya said: In a voice shaken with agitation, the Kuru prince spoke these words. Then, with a sharp broad-headed arrow he struck down the charioteer from the chariot-seat; thereafter, with four keen shafts he pierced the four horses. The scene shows how, in battle’s fury, warriors seek to cripple an opponent’s mobility and support—deeds that obey the ruthless logic of combat even as they deepen the moral darkness of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the brutal pragmatics of war: victory is pursued by disabling an enemy’s support system (charioteer and horses). Ethically, it invites reflection on how anger and fear (sambhrama) can drive escalating violence, even within the accepted framework of battlefield conduct.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, agitated, addresses Droṇa. In the immediate battle action described, a warrior uses a bhalla to knock down the charioteer from the chariot-seat and then shoots four sharp arrows to wound the four horses, immobilizing the chariot.