Shloka 10
सशक्तिप्रासतूणीरानश्वारोहान् हयानपि । पुलिन्दखसबाह्लीकनिषादान्ध्रककुन्तलान्,शक्ति, प्रास और तरकसोंसहित घुड़सवारों तथा घोड़ोंको भी यमलोक पहुँचा दिया। पुलिन्द, खस, बाह्लीक, निषाद, आन्ध्र, कुन्तल, दाक्षिणात्य तथा भोजप्रदेशीय रणकर्कश श्र-वीरोंको अपने बाणोंद्वारा अस्त्र-शस्त्र तथा कवचोंसे हीन करके उनके प्राण हर लिये
saśaktiprāsatūṇīrānaśvārōhān hayān api | pulindakhasabāhlīkaniṣādāndhrakakuntalān |
Sañjaya said: With his arrows he sent to Yama’s realm even the horsemen equipped with śaktis, spears, and quivers—and the horses themselves. He struck down warriors from the Pulinda, Khasa, Bāhlīka, Niṣāda, Āndhra, and Kuntala peoples, stripping them of weapons and armor and taking their lives amid the harsh din of battle—an image of war’s relentless impartiality, where prowess and equipment offer no sure refuge from death.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark ethic of the battlefield: in the kṣatriya arena, death comes impartially, and neither fine weapons nor armor guarantee safety. It invites reflection on the limits of human power and the inevitability of mortality even amid displays of martial excellence.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior (contextually, a principal archer in the Karṇa Parva battle) is cutting down mounted fighters—along with their horses—who carry śaktis, spears, and quivers, and is also slaying fighters from several peoples/regions (Pulinda, Khasa, Bāhlīka, Niṣāda, Āndhra, Kuntala), depriving them of arms and armor.