Shloka 88
ततः शारद्वत: षडडश्नि: प्रत्यविद्धयद् युधिष्ठिरम् । विव्याध चाश्वान्निशितैस्तस्याष्टाभि: शिलीमुखै:,तब कृपाचार्यने छः बाणोंसे राजा युधिष्ठिरको बींध डाला और आठ पैने बाणोंसे उनके घोड़ोंको भी घायल कर दिया
tataḥ śāradvataḥ ṣaḍbhiḥ pratyaviddhayad yudhiṣṭhiram | vivyādha cāśvān niśitais tasyāṣṭābhiḥ śilīmukhaiḥ ||
Then Śāradvata (Kṛpa) struck King Yudhiṣṭhira with six arrows. With eight sharp, reed-like shafts he also pierced Yudhiṣṭhira’s horses—an act that, in the harsh ethics of battle, aims not only at the warrior but at disabling his mobility and command in the midst of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim realism of kṣatriya warfare: victory often depends on disabling an opponent’s capacity to fight (including striking horses), raising ethical tension between martial necessity and ideals of restraint.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛpa (Śāradvata) shoots Yudhiṣṭhira with six arrows and then wounds Yudhiṣṭhira’s horses with eight sharp śilīmukha arrows, aiming to weaken his position in the battle.