Shloka 11
Karṇa-vadha-pratyaya: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Verification of Karṇa’s Fall (कर्णवध-प्रत्ययः)
रथानश्चान् ध्वजान् नागान् पतीन् रणगतानपि,चिच्छेद द्विषतां पार्थ: शिरांसि च सहस्रश: । तदनन्तर कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनने रणस्थलमें आये हुए शत्रुपक्षके रथों, घोड़ों, ध्वजों हाथियों और पैदलोंको भी काट डाला, उन्होंने शत्रुओंके धनुष, बाण, खड्ग, चक्र, फरसे, आयुधोंसहित उठी हुई भुजा, नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्र तथा सहस्रों मस्तक काट गिराये
sañjaya uvāca |
rathāṁś cāśvān dhvajān nāgān pattīn raṇagatān api |
ciccheda dviṣatāṁ pārthaḥ śirāṁsi ca sahasraśaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Pārtha (Arjuna) cut down the enemy’s chariots, horses, banners, elephants, and even the foot-soldiers who had entered the battlefield; and he severed the heads of the hostile warriors by the thousand.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya-duty in a dharma-war: decisive action and martial excellence may be required, yet the narrative does not romanticize violence—it presents its scale and gravity, reminding the listener that even ‘righteous’ conflict carries immense human cost.
Sañjaya reports Arjuna’s overwhelming assault: he destroys enemy war-assets—chariots, horses, standards, elephants—and cuts down infantry, severing the heads of hostile fighters in vast numbers as the battle intensifies.