Shloka 22
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
तस्याश्चांश्वतुरो बाणै: प्रेषयामास मृत्यवे । सारथेश्षास्यथ भल्लेन शिर: कायादपाहरत्,दुर्योधनके प्रहारसे अत्यन्त घायल हुए महाथधनुर्धर धृष्टद्युम्न अंकुशसे पीड़ित हुए हाथीके समान कुपित हो उठे और उन्होंने अपने बाणोंद्वारा उसके चारों घोड़ोंको मौतके हवाले कर दिया तथा एक भल्लसे उसके सारथिका भी सिर धड़से काट लिया
sañjaya uvāca | tasyāś cāśvaturo bāṇaiḥ preṣayāmāsa mṛtyave | sārathes tasya ca bhallena śiraḥ kāyād apāharat ||
Sañjaya said: With his arrows he sent his opponent’s four horses to death; then, with a broad-headed shaft, he severed the charioteer’s head from the body.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how battlefield rage and retaliation can intensify destruction; even within kshatriya warfare, the narrative invites reflection on restraint versus the momentum of violence once combat becomes personal and urgent.
Sanjaya reports that Dhrishtadyumna, badly hurt by Duryodhana’s attack, retaliates by shooting down the opponent’s four horses and then beheading the charioteer with a bhalla arrow, crippling the enemy chariot’s mobility and command.