Shloka 703
Śalya’s Objection to Sārathya and Duryodhana’s Conciliation (शल्यमन्यु-प्रशमनम् / Sārathyāṅgīkāra)
विशस्त्रांश्व॒ तथैवान्यान् सशस्त्रांश्व हतान् बहून् । प्रजानाथ! सूतपुत्रके तीखे बाणोंसे हताहत होकर बहुतेरे रथी वहाँ इधर-उधर भागते देखे गये। कितने ही रथी शस्त्रहीन होकर तथा दूसरे बहुत-से सशस्त्र रहकर ही मारे गये थे
viśastrāṁś ca tathaivānyān saśastrāṁś ca hatān bahūn | prajānātha! sūtaputrake tīkṣṇabāṇair hatāhatā bahavas te rathino 'tra tatra-tatra dhāvamānā dṛśyante | kecid rathino niḥśastrāḥ, kecid bahavo 'pi saśastrā eva nihātāḥ |
Sañjaya said: O lord of men, many were seen slain—some deprived of weapons and others still armed. Struck again and again by the sharp arrows of the Sūta’s son (Karna), numerous chariot-warriors of yours were observed fleeing in confusion in every direction across the field. Some, rendered weaponless, were cut down; and many others, though still bearing arms, were likewise killed.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal momentum of war: once violence escalates, even the armed and the disarmed alike can be swept away. Ethically, it highlights the king’s responsibility for the war’s human cost and the tragic leveling effect of battle, where fear, flight, and slaughter overtake distinctions of readiness or merit.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa’s sharp arrows are devastating the opposing chariot-warriors. Many are repeatedly struck, panic spreads, and warriors are seen fleeing in different directions; some are killed after losing their weapons, while many others die despite still being armed.