Shloka 39
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
निहत:ः खड्गमुद्यम्य धृष्टद्युम्नेन संजय । अन्तरेण हतावेतौ छलेन च विशेषत:
nihataḥ khaḍgam udyamya dhṛṣṭadyumnena sañjaya | antareṇa hatāv etau chalena ca viśeṣataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Sañjaya, those two were slain by Dhṛṣṭadyumna when he raised his sword—killed in a vulnerable interval, and, above all, by a stratagem.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension in warfare: victory and survival may be pursued through timing and stratagem (chala), yet such means are morally marked, contrasting with ideals of straightforward kṣatriya combat and inviting reflection on dharma under extreme conditions.
Vaiśampāyana reports to Sañjaya that Dhṛṣṭadyumna, sword raised, killed “these two” during a vulnerable interval—emphasizing that the killing occurred through opportunistic timing and, particularly, through a deceptive stratagem.