Shloka 94
स चक्ररक्षानथ पादरक्षान् पुर:सरान् पृष्ठगोपांश्व॒ सर्वान् दुर्योधनेनानुमतानरिध्न: समुद्यतान् स रथान् सारभूतान्
sa cakrarakṣān atha pādarakṣān puraḥsarān pṛṣṭhagopāṁś ca sarvān | duryodhanenānumatān aridhnaḥ samudyatān sa rathān sāra-bhūtān ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Oh soberano de los hombres, entonces Arjuna—Savyasācī, héroe sin par y destructor de enemigos—abatió en un instante a todos aquellos guerreros kouravas más eminentes que servían como guardias de Karṇa: guardias de las ruedas, guardias a pie, vanguardia y retaguardia. Aprobados y dirigidos por Duryodhana, siempre prestos para la batalla y núcleo mismo del ejército kourava, fueron enviados a la muerte junto con sus carros, caballos y aurigas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership in war: Duryodhana’s command drives elite fighters into lethal conflict, and even the best-protected formations collapse before superior skill. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that martial excellence does not cancel the tragic cost of violence.
During the Karṇa–Arjuna confrontation, Arjuna swiftly destroys the Kaurava contingent assigned as Karṇa’s protective screen—wheel-guards, foot-guards, vanguard, and rear-guard—killing them along with their chariots, horses, and charioteers.