Shloka 5
कर्णस्य दानप्रतिज्ञा–शल्योपदेश–वाक्ययुद्धम्
Karna’s Gift-Vows, Shalya’s Counsel, and the Battle of Words
चतुर्भिश्चतुरो वाहांस्तस्य हत्वा महारथ: । पजञ्चमेन शिर: कायात् सारथेश्व समाक्षिपत्
caturbhiś caturo vāhāṁs tasya hatvā mahārathaḥ | pañcamena śiraḥ kāyāt sārathes tu samākṣipat ||
Sañjaya dit : Le grand guerrier de char abattit, de quatre flèches, les quatre chevaux de Duryodhana ; puis, d’une cinquième, il trancha la tête du cocher, la séparant du corps, et la jeta à terre. La scène souligne la précision impitoyable de l’art du champ de bataille, où la nécessité tactique et l’érosion de la retenue marchent de pair au milieu de l’effondrement de l’ordre dharmique dans la guerre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the extremity of war, technical prowess and strategic targeting (horses, then charioteer) can override ordinary restraints; it invites reflection on how dharma becomes strained and ambiguous when victory is pursued through escalating violence.
Sañjaya reports that an elite warrior disables Duryodhana’s chariot by killing its four horses with four arrows and then kills the charioteer by beheading him with a fifth arrow, effectively neutralizing Duryodhana’s mobility and immediate combat capacity.