Shloka 30
Droṇavadha-saṃniveśaḥ — The Convergence Toward Droṇa’s Fall
Book 7, Chapter 164
सारथेश्न शिर: कायाद् भल्लेन नतपर्वणा । जहार नरशार्दूल: प्रहसज्छिनिपुड्रव:,इसके बाद पुरुषसिंह शिनिप्रवर सात्यकिने हँसते हुए झुकी हुई गाँठवाले भल्लसे सोमदत्तके सारथिका सिर धड़से अलग कर दिया
sārathes tu śiraḥ kāyād bhallena nataparvaṇā | jahāra naraśārdūlaḥ prahasac chīnipuṅgavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then the tiger among men, Sātyaki—the foremost of the Śini line—laughing as he fought, severed with a bhalla arrow (whose joints were bent) the charioteer’s head from his body.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya-dharma in war: victory often depends on disabling the enemy’s fighting system (here, the chariot’s driver). It also illustrates how epic poetry uses heroic epithets and vivid action to portray martial prowess, while implicitly raising ethical tension about violence against non-royal combatants like charioteers.
Sañjaya narrates that Sātyaki, famed among the Śinis, strikes with a bhalla arrow and cuts off the charioteer’s head from the body, doing so while laughing/smiling in the heat of battle—an image of fearless, aggressive combat.