Shloka 42
स कर्ण दशभिर्विद्ध्वा वृषसेनं च सप्तभि: । स हस्तावापधनुषी तयोश्रिच्छेद सात्वत:,सात्वतवंशी सात्यकिने कर्णको दस और वृषसेनको सात बाणोंसे घायल करके उन दोनोंके दस्ताने और धनुष काट दिये
sa karṇa daśabhir viddhvā vṛṣasenaṃ ca saptabhiḥ | sa hastāv āpa-dhanuṣī tayoś ciccheda sātvataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Sātyaki, the Sātvata hero, struck Karṇa with ten arrows and Vṛṣasena with seven; then he cut off the hand-guards and the bows of both, disabling them.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even within righteous warfare, prowess is not only measured by killing but also by controlled, strategic disabling of an opponent. The verse highlights disciplined skill—reducing harm while achieving battlefield advantage—reflecting a restrained application of force within kṣatriya conduct.
Sātyaki attacks Karṇa and Karṇa’s son Vṛṣasena with a precise volley of arrows, then severs their protective hand-gear and bows, effectively disarming both and shifting the momentum of the encounter.