Shloka 516
सारथिं विशिखैश्लास्य दशभि: समकम्पयत् | तदनन्तर नौ बाणोंसे उन्हें घायल करके एक बाणसे उनके ध्वजको भी काट डाला। फिर दस बाणोंद्वारा उनके सारथिको कम्पित कर दिया
sārathiṁ viśikhaiḥ ślāsyā daśabhiḥ samakampayat | tadanantara nava bāṇaiḥ tān āhatya ekena bāṇena teṣāṁ dhvajaṁ api chittvā | punaḥ daśabāṇaiḥ teṣāṁ sārathiṁ kampitaṁ cakāra |
Sañjaya dit : De dix flèches acérées, il fit chanceler le cocher. Puis, aussitôt, il les blessa de neuf traits et, d’une seule flèche, abattit aussi leur étendard. De nouveau, de dix flèches, il fit vaciller le cocher — geste qui révèle la précision impitoyable de l’art du combat, frapper le conducteur et la bannière visant à briser tout ensemble la maîtrise et le courage.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare targets not only the body but also command and morale: striking the charioteer disrupts control, and cutting the banner undermines confidence and identity. Ethically, it reflects the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare where strategic advantage is pursued through precise, demoralizing blows.
Sañjaya reports a rapid sequence of archery: the attacker first shakes the charioteer with ten arrows, then wounds the opponent(s) with nine arrows, cuts down their chariot-banner with one arrow, and again makes the charioteer reel with another volley of ten.