Shloka 19
अमोघशक्तिव्यंसनप्रश्नः — Why Karṇa’s Śakti Was Not Used on Arjuna
तस्य द्रोणो हयान् हत्वा सारथिं च महात्मन: । अथास्य सशिरस्त्राणं शिर: कायादपाहरत्,यह देख द्रोणाचार्यने भी महामना शिबिके घोड़ोंको मारकर सारथिका भी वध कर दिया। फिर उनके शिरस्त्राणसहित मस्तकको धड़से काट लिया
tasya droṇo hayān hatvā sārathiṁ ca mahātmanaḥ | athāsya saśirastrāṇaṁ śiraḥ kāyād apāharat ||
Sañjaya said: Droṇa, having slain the horses and the charioteer of that noble warrior, then severed his head from his body, helmet and all.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical tension of war: tactical necessity (disabling a warrior by killing horses and charioteer) can culminate in total destruction, reminding readers that even ‘great-souled’ status does not shield one from the impersonal, escalating logic of battle and the burdens of kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa first kills the opponent’s horses and charioteer—stripping the warrior of movement and support—and then cuts off the warrior’s head along with the helmet, completing the kill in a decisive, brutal sequence.