Shloka 19
द्रौणि-पार्षतयोर्युद्धम् | The Duel of Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi) and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata
तस्यास्यतो धरनुर्भीमश्नकर्त निशितैस्त्रिभि: । रथनीडाच्च यन्तारं भल्लेनापातयत् क्षितौ,इस प्रकार बाण चलाते हुए कर्णके धनुषको भीमसेनने तीन तीखे बाणोंद्वारा काट डाला और एक भल्ल मारकर सारथिको रथकी बैठकसे नीचे पृथ्वीपर गिरा दिया
sañjaya uvāca | tasyāsyato dhanuḥ bhīmaś chittvā niśitais tribhiḥ | rathanīḍāc ca yantāraṃ bhallena apātayat kṣitau ||
Sañjaya said: As Karṇa shot his arrows, Bhīmasena severed his bow with three razor-sharp shafts; then, with a broad-headed arrow, he struck down the charioteer from the chariot-seat onto the earth.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Within the Mahābhārata’s war ethic, victory often turns on disabling an enemy’s capacity to fight (weapon, chariot, driver). The verse highlights the tension between strategic necessity and the harsh moral cost of war, even when actions occur under the umbrella of kṣatriya-duty.
As Karṇa is actively shooting, Bhīmasena cuts Karṇa’s bow with three sharp arrows and then strikes the charioteer with a bhalla, causing him to fall from the chariot-seat to the ground.