Shloka 7
सारथिके मारे जानेपर भी दुःशासन उस रथके द्वारा युद्धभूमिमें निर्भय-सा विचरता रहा; उसके इस कर्मकी अपने और शत्रुपक्षके लोगोंने भी प्रशंसा की ।। सहदेवस्तु तानश्चांस्ती3णैर्बाणैरवाकिरत् । पीड्यमाना: शरैश्वाशु प्राद्रवंस्ते ततस्तत:,सहदेव उन घोड़ोंपर तीखे बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगे। उन बाणोंसे पीड़ित हुए वे घोड़े शीघ्र ही इधर-उधर भागने लगे
sahadevas tu tān aśvān tīkṣṇair bāṇair avākirat | pīḍyamānāḥ śaraiś cāśu prādravan te tatas tataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Though his charioteer had been slain, Duḥśāsana still ranged over the battlefield in that chariot as if fearless, and both friend and foe praised the deed. But Sahadeva showered those horses with sharp arrows; tormented by the shafts, they quickly bolted and scattered in different directions.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a pragmatic aspect of kṣatriya warfare: neutralizing an opponent by disabling the chariot’s mobility. Ethically, it reflects the battlefield logic of reducing immediate danger and shifting the balance of power without necessarily aiming first at the warrior’s body.
Sañjaya reports that Sahadeva rains sharp arrows upon the enemy horses. Wounded and distressed, the horses panic and run in different directions, disrupting the chariot’s effectiveness on the battlefield.