Shloka 3
नैनं दुःशासन: सूतं नापि कश्चन सैनिक: । कृत्तोत्तमाड़माशुत्वात् सहदेवेन बुद्धवान्,इस कार्यमें उन्होंने ऐसी फुर्ती दिखायी कि न तो दुःशासन और न दूसरा ही कोई सैनिक इस बातको जान सका कि सहदेवने सारथिका सिर काट डाला है
nainaṃ duḥśāsanaḥ sūtaṃ nāpi kaścana sainikaḥ | kṛttottamāṅgam āśutvāt sahadevena buddhavān ||
Sañjaya said: Neither Duḥśāsana nor any other soldier noticed it—so swiftly and skillfully did the wise Sahadeva act—when he struck and severed the charioteer’s head. The episode underscores how, in the chaos of war, speed and tactical precision can conceal even a grave act of violence, raising the ethical tension between battlefield necessity and the human cost borne by non-royal combatants such as charioteers.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war compresses moral choice into moments of speed and strategy: a decisive act can pass unnoticed amid confusion, yet it still carries ethical weight—especially when directed at supporting combatants like charioteers. It invites reflection on the tension between tactical necessity and compassion within kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya reports that Sahadeva, acting with great swiftness, severed the charioteer’s head. The action was so quick that Duḥśāsana and the surrounding soldiers did not even realize what had happened.