Shloka 503
अर्जुनस्य द्रोणिप्रतिघातः कर्णोपसर्पणं च
Arjuna Checks Droṇaputra; Karṇa Advances
विसूताश्वरथं कृत्वा ललाटे त्रिभिरार्पयत् । सात्यकिने लोहेके बने हुए नौ नूतन बाणोंसे दुःशासनको सारथि, घोड़ों और रथसे वंचित करके उसके ललाटमें तीन बाण मारे
visūtāśvarathaṃ kṛtvā lalāṭe tribhir ārpayat |
Sañjaya said: Sātyaki struck Duḥśāsana so forcefully that he was left without charioteer, horses, and chariot; then Sātyaki planted three arrows into his forehead—an emphatic battlefield act meant to break the enemy’s pride and momentum in the struggle of dharma and adharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its stark form: in war, disabling the opponent’s means (chariot, horses, charioteer) and then striking decisively is portrayed as tactical righteousness within the battlefield code, aimed at stopping adharma’s advance rather than indulging in cruelty for its own sake.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki overwhelms Duḥśāsana, depriving him of chariot support (driver, horses, and chariot), and then shoots three arrows into his forehead, marking a dramatic moment of dominance in the ongoing Kurukṣetra battle.