Shloka 48
स साथ्र व्यधमच्चापि रथं हेमपरिष्कृतम् । ह्दि विव्याध समरे त्रिंशता सायकैर्भुशम्,इसके बाद घोड़ोंसहित उसके सुवर्णभूषित रथको छिल्न-भिन्न कर डाला और समरांगणमें तीस बाणोंसे उसकी छातीमें गहरी चोट पहुँचायी
sa sāśvān vyadhamac cāpi rathaṁ hemapariṣkṛtam | hṛdi vivyādha samare triṁśatā sāyakair bhuśam ||
Sañjaya said: He also shattered that gold-adorned chariot along with its horses, and in the thick of battle he pierced his opponent’s chest with thirty arrows, inflicting a grievous wound. The verse underscores the relentless escalation of martial skill and violence on the battlefield, where prowess is displayed without pause even as the larger moral order (dharma) is strained by the necessities of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: skill and force are exercised decisively in battle. Ethically, it points to the tension between duty in war and the suffering war inevitably produces, a recurring Mahābhārata theme where dharma is tested under extreme conditions.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior destroys an opponent’s gold-decorated chariot along with its horses and then strikes the opponent in the chest with thirty arrows, causing a severe wound—an image of overwhelming battlefield dominance.