Shloka 48
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
अथास्य वाहांस्त्वरित: शरैरनिन्ये यमक्षयम् । ततो<वप्लुत्य सहसा शकुनिर्भरतर्षभ
athāsya vāhāṁs tvaritaḥ śarair aninye yamakṣayam | tato 'vaplutyā sahasā śakunir bharatarṣabha ||
Sañjaya said: Then, with swift arrows, he quickly sent his opponent’s horses to Yama’s imperishable abode (i.e., to death). Thereupon Śakuni, leaping down at once, O bull among the Bharatas, acted to save himself amid the press of battle—an image of war’s ruthless momentum, where skill and survival often override any higher scruple.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal immediacy of battlefield karma: life can turn on a moment—horses are slain, a warrior abandons the chariot to survive. It highlights how, in war, tactical necessity often eclipses moral refinement, reminding the listener of the ethical cost and dehumanizing speed of violence.
An unnamed warrior (contextually, the opponent of Śakuni) shoots rapidly and kills the horses of Śakuni’s chariot, effectively disabling it. Śakuni then leaps down suddenly to avoid being trapped or killed, continuing the action on foot or seeking another means of escape/engagement.