Shloka 30
अध्याय ९९ — युयुधान-दुःशासन-युद्धम्
Chapter 99: Sātyaki and Duḥśāsana’s engagement
हयांश्वैव चतुःषष्ट्या शराणां जध्निवान् बली | ध्वजं क्षत्रं च भल्लाभ्यां तथा तौ पार्ष्णिसारथी
hayāṁś caiva catuḥṣaṣṭyā śarāṇāṁ jadhnivān balī | dhvajaṁ kṣatraṁ ca bhallābhyāṁ tathā tau pārṣṇisārathī ||
Sañjaya said: The mighty warrior struck down the horses with sixty-four arrows; and with two broad-headed shafts he also cut down the standard and the protective armor—thus did that charioteer, steadfast in battle, shatter the enemy’s strength and symbols of honor amid the fury of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of resolute, disciplined prowess in battle: not merely harming opponents, but strategically disabling mobility (horses) and undermining morale and identity (banner) and protection (armor). Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—skill and duty in war coexist with the grave cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports a combat episode in which a powerful warrior shoots a precise volley of sixty-four arrows to bring down the chariot’s horses, then uses two bhalla arrows to cut down the enemy’s banner and armor, signaling a decisive tactical and symbolic blow.