Shloka 21
सहदेव-राधेय-संग्रामः; शल्य-प्रभावः; अलम्बुस-निवर्तनम्
Sahadeva and Karṇa; Śalya’s pressure; Alambusa’s interception
ततो<5वहन् सैन्धवा: साधुदान्ता गोक्षीरकुन्देन्दुहिमप्रकाशा: । सुवर्णजालावतता: सदश्वा यतो यत: कामयते नृसिंह:,उस समय गोदुग्ध, कुन्दकुसुम, चन्द्रमा तथा हिमके समान कान्तिवाले सिंधुदेशीय सुशिक्षित सुन्दर घोड़े, जो सोनेकी जालीसे आवृत थे, पुरुषसिंह सात्यकि जहाँ-जहाँ जाना चाहते, वहाँ-वहाँ उन्हें ले जाते थे। अजमीढवंशी भरतनन्दन! इस प्रकार जैसे वायु मेघोंकी घटाको छित्न-भिन्न करती रहती है, वैसे ही बारंबार बाणोंद्वारा कौरव-सेनाओंका संहार करते और शत्रुओंके बीचमें विचरते हुए वृष्णिवीर सात्यकिको वहाँ आया हुआ देख योद्धाओंमें प्रधान आपके पुत्र दुःशासनको अगुआ बनाकर आपके बहुत-से पुत्र तथा आपके पक्षके अन्य योद्धा भी शीघ्रतापूर्वक एक साथ ही उनपर टूट पड़े
sañjaya uvāca | tato vahantaḥ saindhavāḥ sādhudāntā gokṣīrakundenduhimaprakāśāḥ | suvarṇajālāvatatāḥ sadaśvā yato yataḥ kāmayate nṛsiṃhaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then the well-trained horses of Sindhu—radiant like cow’s milk, jasmine blossoms, the moon, and snow—covered with nets of gold, bore the lion-like warrior wherever he wished to go. Thus, moving amid the enemy host and repeatedly cutting down the Kaurava forces with showers of arrows, Sātyaki appeared on the field; and seeing him, Duryodhana’s foremost fighters—led by Duḥśāsana—together rushed swiftly to overwhelm him.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how disciplined resources (well-trained horses, fine equipment) become instruments of a warrior’s will; ethically, it frames the battlefield as a space where individual valor meets collective force, intensifying the consequences of choices made in war.
Sanjaya describes splendid Sindhu horses carrying a lion-like warrior wherever he chooses; in the surrounding narrative context, Satyaki is seen moving through and cutting down Kaurava troops, prompting Duhshasana and many Kaurava fighters to rush together to attack him.