Shloka 143
वार्यमाणस्तु विशिखै: सहदेवो रणं जहौ । तत्पश्चात् माद्रीकुमार सहदेवने अपने-आपको आयुधोंसे रहित समझकर कर्णके बाणोंसे अवरुद्ध हो उस रणभूमिको त्याग दिया
vāryamāṇas tu viśikhaiḥ sahadevo raṇaṃ jahau | tatpaścāt mādrīkumaras sahadevaḥ svayam āyudhair rahitaṃ manyamānaḥ karṇabāṇair avaruddho raṇabhūmiṃ tyaktavān |
Sahadeva, though striving to stand his ground, was checked by volleys of arrows and withdrew from the fight. Thereafter the son of Mādrī—Sahadeva—judging himself to be without effective weapons and hemmed in by Karṇa’s shafts, abandoned that battlefield. The episode underscores the harsh ethics of war: valor is praised, yet survival and tactical withdrawal become unavoidable when one is disarmed and overpowered.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a pragmatic dimension of kṣatriya conduct: courage is essential, but when one is effectively disarmed and overwhelmed, withdrawal can be a necessary tactical choice rather than mere cowardice. It reflects the battlefield reality where dharma is pursued amid constraints, danger, and unequal advantage.
Sañjaya reports that Sahadeva is stopped and pressured by a storm of arrows. Feeling himself without effective weapons and blocked by Karṇa’s missiles, Sahadeva leaves the battlefield, indicating Karṇa’s dominance in that exchange.