Shloka 5
कार्मुकप्रवरं चापि प्रचिच्छेद शितै: शरै: । सारथिं चास्य भल्लेन रथनीडादपातयत्,इतना ही नहीं, उसने अपने तीखे बाणोंसे धृष्टद्युम्नके श्रेष्ठ धनुषको भी काट दिया और एक भल्ल मारकर उनके सारथिको भी रथकी बैठकसे नीचे गिरा दिया
kārmukapravaraṃ cāpi praciccheda śitaiḥ śaraiḥ | sārathiṃ cāsya bhallena rathanīḍād apātayat ||
With razor-sharp arrows he also cut down Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s excellent bow; and with a broad-headed shaft he struck down his charioteer, casting him from the chariot-seat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh logic of kṣatriya warfare: victory often depends on neutralizing an enemy’s capacity to fight—by cutting the bow and disabling the chariot’s control—raising ethical reflection on how duty-driven combat can demand severe, targeted actions.
In Sañjaya’s report of the battle, an unnamed warrior strikes Dhṛṣṭadyumna effectively: first severing his superior bow with sharp arrows, then knocking down his charioteer from the chariot-seat with a bhalla, thereby crippling his immediate fighting position.