Shloka 24
सहदेव-राधेय-संग्रामः; शल्य-प्रभावः; अलम्बुस-निवर्तनम्
Sahadeva and Karṇa; Śalya’s pressure; Alambusa’s interception
निवार्य तांस्तूर्णममित्रघाती नप्ता शिने: पत्रिभिरग्निकल्पै: । दुःशासनस्याभिजघान वाहा- नुद्यम्य बाणासनमाजमीढ
nivārya tāṁs tūṛṇam amitraghātī naptā śineḥ patribhir agnikalpaiḥ | duḥśāsanasya abhijaghāna vāhān udyamya bāṇāsanam ājamīḍha
Sañjaya said: Having swiftly checked them, the slayer of foes—Śini’s grandson—raised his bow and struck down Duḥśāsana’s horses with feathered arrows blazing like fire. In the ruthless press of battle, he chose to disable the chariot’s power of movement, a tactically decisive act that also signals the grim ethics of war where survival and duty drive swift, forceful choices.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-duty in war: swift, decisive action to neutralize an opponent’s capacity to fight (here, disabling the chariot by killing its horses). It reflects the Mahābhārata’s sober view that battlefield ethics often revolve around necessity, strategy, and the obligation to protect one’s side, even through harsh means.
Sañjaya narrates that Śini’s grandson (typically identified as Sātyaki), after checking the opposing attack, raises his bow and with fire-like feathered arrows strikes down Duḥśāsana’s chariot-horses, effectively crippling Duḥśāsana’s mobility in the fight.