Shloka 473
युधिष्ठिरस्य कृष्णार्जुनादि-समाश्वासनम्
Yudhiṣṭhira’s reassurance and praise of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma, and Sātyaki
व्यश्वसूतरथांश्ष॒क्रे कुमारान् कुपितो रणे । भरतनन्दन! रणक्षेत्रमें कुपित हुए द्रोणाचार्यने हँसते हुए-से अपने बाणोंद्वारा उन किंकर्तव्यविमूढ़ राजकुमारोंको घोड़े, सारथि तथा रथसे हीन कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca |
vy-aśvasūtarathāṁś cakre kumārān kupito raṇe |
bharatanandana raṇakṣetre me kṣubdhadṛoṇācāryo hasann iva svaiḥ śaraiḥ tān kiṁkartavyavimūḍhān rājaputrān aśva-sūta-ratha-vihīnān cakāra ||
Sañjaya dit : Dans la fureur du combat, Droṇācārya dépouilla ces jeunes princes de leurs chevaux, de leurs cochers et de leurs chars. Ô joie des Bhārata, sur le champ de bataille, Droṇa, enragé — presque comme s’il souriait —, par ses flèches, réduisit ces jeunes royaux désemparés à l’impuissance, les privant des appuis mêmes qui leur permettaient de combattre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, loss of composure leads to 'kiṁkartavyavimūḍhatā' (confusion about right action), while disciplined mastery can decisively disable an opponent by targeting the supports of action (horses, charioteer, chariot). Ethically, it points to the danger of wrath and the fragility of power when one’s means and guidance are removed.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, angered in the battle, uses his arrows to disable the princes by depriving them of their chariots, horses, and charioteers—rendering them effectively helpless and disoriented on the battlefield.