Shloka 39
Śalya’s Objection to Sārathya and Duryodhana’s Conciliation (शल्यमन्यु-प्रशमनम् / Sārathyāṅgīkāra)
ततोअश्चांश्षतुरश्षास्य चतुर्भिनिशितै: शरैः । यमस्य भवन तूर्ण प्रेषयामास भारत,भारत! फिर चार तीखे बाणोंसे उनके चारों घोड़ोंको भी तुरंत ही यमराजके घर भेज दिया
tato 'śvāṁś caturaś cāsya caturbhir niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | yamasya bhavanaṁ tūrṇaṁ preṣayāmāsa bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: Then, with four keen arrows, he swiftly dispatched that warrior’s four horses to Yama’s abode. The episode underscores the ruthless efficiency of battlefield skill, where mastery over weapons turns living supports of war—like the chariot-horses—into immediate casualties, intensifying the moral weight of violence in a dharma-war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a dharma-war, actions have grave moral weight: skill and speed in combat can instantly destroy the supports of life (here, the horses), reminding the listener that war’s efficiency is inseparable from suffering and death under Yama’s domain.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior shoots four sharp arrows and kills the opponent’s four horses, metaphorically ‘sending them to Yama’s abode,’ i.e., causing their death and disabling the chariot’s mobility.