Shloka 53
Śalya–Bhīma Gadāyuddham (मद्रराज-भीमसेन गदायुद्धम्)
सौभद्र: पौरवं त्वन्यैर्विदूध्वा सप्तभिराशुगै: । पज्चभिस्तस्य विव्याध हयान् सूतं च सायकै:,फिर अन्य सात शीघ्रगामी बाणोंद्वारा पौरवको घायल करके अभिमन्युने पाँच बाणोंसे उनके घोड़ों और सारथिको भी क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया
Saubhadraḥ Pauravaṁ tv anyair vidūdhvā saptabhir āśugaiḥ | pañcabhis tasya vivyādha hayān sūtaṁ ca sāyakaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrā, first struck the Kaurava warrior with seven swift arrows, wounding him. Then, with five more shafts, he pierced his horses and his charioteer as well—showing the ruthless momentum of battle, where crippling an enemy’s mobility and support becomes a decisive, if grim, necessity.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical landscape of dharma-yuddha: a warrior’s duty includes strategic disabling of the enemy’s capacity to fight (chariot, horses, charioteer), even though it intensifies suffering. It reflects how battlefield dharma often operates through necessity and tactical decisiveness rather than gentler ideals.
Sañjaya narrates that Abhimanyu first wounds a Kaurava opponent with seven swift arrows, then follows up by shooting five arrows that strike the opponent’s horses and charioteer, aiming to cripple the chariot’s movement and support.