Shloka 20
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
तस्य कर्णो हयान् हत्वा सारथिं च त्रिभि: शरै: । उन्ममाथ ध्वजं चास्य क्षुरप्रेण महारथ:
tasya karṇo hayān hatvā sārathiṁ ca tribhiḥ śaraiḥ | unmamātha dhvajaṁ cāsya kṣurapreṇa mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Karṇa, having slain his horses and, with three arrows, struck down his charioteer as well, then with a razor-edged shaft cut down his banner.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the strategic and unsparing nature of battlefield conduct: victory is pursued by first crippling an opponent’s capacity to fight (horses and charioteer) and then breaking morale and identity (the banner). It reflects the grim ethical tension of war, where skill and duty operate within a violent arena.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa attacks his opponent’s chariot: he kills the horses, then kills the charioteer with three arrows, and finally cuts down the chariot’s banner with a razor-edged arrow, effectively disabling and dishonoring the enemy’s war-vehicle.