Shloka 5
कर्णस्य दानप्रतिज्ञा–शल्योपदेश–वाक्ययुद्धम्
Karna’s Gift-Vows, Shalya’s Counsel, and the Battle of Words
चतुर्भिश्चतुरो वाहांस्तस्य हत्वा महारथ: । पजञ्चमेन शिर: कायात् सारथेश्व समाक्षिपत्,महारथी युधिष्ठिरने उनमेंसे चार बाणोंद्वारा दुर्योधनके चारों घोड़ोंको मारकर पॉाँचवेंसे उसके सारथिका भी मस्तक धड़से काट गिराया
caturbhiś caturo vāhāṁs tasya hatvā mahārathaḥ | pañcamena śiraḥ kāyāt sārathes tu samākṣipat ||
Sañjaya said: The great chariot-warrior struck down Duryodhana’s four horses with four arrows; then, with a fifth, he severed the charioteer’s head from the body and cast it down. The scene underscores the ruthless precision of battlefield skill, where tactical necessity and the erosion of restraint move side by side amid the collapse of dharmic order in war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the extremity of war, technical prowess and strategic targeting (horses, then charioteer) can override ordinary restraints; it invites reflection on how dharma becomes strained and ambiguous when victory is pursued through escalating violence.
Sañjaya reports that an elite warrior disables Duryodhana’s chariot by killing its four horses with four arrows and then kills the charioteer by beheading him with a fifth arrow, effectively neutralizing Duryodhana’s mobility and immediate combat capacity.