Shloka 67
अलंबलवधः (Alaṃbala-vadhaḥ) / The Slaying of Alaṃbala and the Advance toward Karṇa
राजन! इससे खिन्नचित्त होकर आपके महारथी वीर कर्णपुत्र वृषसेन, मद्रराज शल्य तथा द्रोणकुमार अश्वत्थामाने सात्यकिको सब ओरसे घेर लिया ।। ततः पर्याकुलं सर्व न प्राज्ञायत किंचन । तथा सात्यकिना वीरे विरथे सूतजे कृते,सात्यकिके द्वारा वीरवर सूतपुत्र कर्णके रथहीन कर दिये जानेपर सारा सैन्यदल सब ओरसे व्याकुल हो उठा। किसीको कुछ सूझ नहीं पड़ता था
rājan! etena khinnacitto bhūtvā tava mahārathī vīraḥ karṇaputro vṛṣasenaḥ madrarājaḥ śalyaś ca droṇakumāro ’śvatthāmā ca sātyakiṃ sarvataḥ paryavārayat. tataḥ paryākulaṃ sarvaṃ na prājñāyata kiṃcana. tathā sātyakinā vīre virathe sūtaje kṛte, sātyakinā vīravaraṃ sūtaputraṃ karṇaṃ rathahīnaṃ kṛtvā sarvaṃ sainyaṃ sarvataḥ vyākulaṃ babhūva; kasyacid api kiṃcid na pratyabhāt.
Sañjaya said: “O King, distressed by this, your great chariot-warriors—Vṛṣasena, son of Karṇa, Śalya the king of Madra, and Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā—closed in on Sātyaki from every side. Then the whole host fell into confusion; no one could make out what to do. For when Sātyaki, in his prowess, had made the charioteer-born hero (Karṇa) bereft of his chariot, the army on all sides became agitated, and clarity deserted them.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how quickly collective judgment collapses when a pivotal warrior is suddenly neutralized; in war, dharma and strategy are tested under pressure, and leaders must act with steadiness rather than panic.
After Sātyaki renders Karṇa chariotless, the Kaurava host becomes disordered. In response, major Kaurava fighters—Vṛṣasena, Śalya, and Aśvatthāmā—surround Sātyaki from all sides to contain him.