Shloka 38
अर्जुन वासुदेवं च शरवर्षरवाकिरन् । तब वे त्रिगर्तदेशीय महारथी एक साथ होकर अर्जुन और श्रीकृष्णको अपने बाणोंकी वर्षसे आच्छादित करने लगे ।। सत्यकर्माणमारक्षिप्य क्षुरप्रेण महायशा:,शिरक्षिच्छेद सहसा तप्तकुण्डलभूषणम् । प्रभो! उस समय महायशस्वी पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनने क्षुरप्रद्वारा सत्यकर्मापर प्रहार करके उसके रथकी ईषा (हरसा) काट डाली। तत्पश्चात् उन महायशस्वी वीरने शिलापर तेज किये हुए क्षुरप्रद्वारा उसके तपाये हुए सुवर्णके कुण्डलोंसे विभूषित मस्तकको सहसा काट लिया
sañjaya uvāca | arjunaṃ vāsudevaṃ ca śaravarṣair avākiran | tataḥ te trigartadeśīyā mahārathā ekasāthaṃ bhūtvā arjunaṃ śrīkṛṣṇaṃ ca bāṇavarṣair ācchādayām āsuḥ || satyakarmāṇam ārakṣipya kṣurapreṇa mahāyaśāḥ śiraś ciccheda sahasā taptakuṇḍalabhūṣaṇam | prabho! tadā mahāyaśasā pāṇḍunandanena arjunena kṣurapreṇa satyakarmāṇam abhihatyāsya rathasya īṣāṃ (harṣāṃ) ciccheda | tataḥ sa mahāyaśā vīraḥ śilāparitejitena kṣurapreṇa tasya taptasuvarṇakuṇḍalabhūṣitaṃ mastakaṃ sahasā ciccheda ||
Sañjaya said: The warriors from Trigarta showered Arjuna and Vasudeva (Krishna) with a rain of arrows, seeking to smother both the hero and his charioteer beneath their missile-storm. Then Arjuna, the illustrious son of Pandu, struck at Satyakarman with a razor-edged shaft, severing the chariot’s pole; and immediately thereafter, with a keenly whetted razor-arrow, he cut off Satyakarman’s head—adorned with heated golden earrings—swiftly and decisively.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral landscape of war: coordinated aggression invites decisive counteraction, and martial excellence—when exercised within a warrior’s role—brings swift consequences. It also frames Krishna’s presence beside Arjuna as steady guidance amid chaos, while not softening the reality of violence.
Trigarta’s elite chariot-warriors jointly shower Arjuna and Krishna with arrows. Arjuna responds by striking Satyakarman: first severing the chariot’s pole, then cutting off Satyakarman’s head with a razor-edged, stone-whetted arrow.