Shloka 38
अलंबलवधः (Alaṃbala-vadhaḥ) / The Slaying of Alaṃbala and the Advance toward Karṇa
सात्यकिश्वापि विरथ: क॑ समारूढवान् रथम् | चक्ररक्षौ च पाउ्चाल्यौ तन्ममाचक्ष्व संजय,संजय! सात्यकि भी तो रथहीन हो चुके थे। वे किस रथपर आरूढ़ हुए तथा चक्ररक्षक युधामन्यु और उत्तमौजा इन दोनों पांचाल वीरोंने किसके साथ युद्ध किया? यह सब मुझे बताओ
sātyakiś cāpi virathaḥ kaṃ samārūḍhavān ratham | cakrarakṣau ca pāñcālyau tan mamācakṣva sañjaya sañjaya ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Sātyaki too had been left without a chariot—upon whose chariot did he then mount? And the two Pāñcāla heroes who served as wheel-guards, Yudhāmanyu and Uttamaujā—alongside whom did they fight? Tell me all this, Sañjaya.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the practical ethics of kṣatriya warfare: even amid chaos, protection of comrades and continuity of command matter. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s questions underscore how individual survival and duty depend on collective support—who provides refuge (a chariot) and who stands guard (cakrarakṣa) to uphold the fight.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya for specific battlefield details: after Sātyaki becomes chariotless, whose chariot he mounts, and with whom the two Pāñcāla wheel-guards, Yudhāmanyu and Uttamaujā, are engaged in combat.