Shloka 49
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
अपोवाहाथ शीघ्रं स शैनेयाद् युद्धशालिन:
apovāhātha śīghraṁ sa śaineyād yuddhaśālinaḥ
Sañjaya dit : D’un mouvement rapide, il l’éloigna de Śaineya—guerrier accompli dans l’art du combat—en le tirant hors de l’affrontement au plus près. Le vers rappelle la loi du champ de bataille : lorsque l’heure l’ordonne, la retraite tactique sauve la vie et la position, mieux que l’entêtement téméraire.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, dharma includes discernment: courage is not mere stubbornness. Strategic withdrawal or removal from danger can be righteous when it preserves life and maintains the larger duty of protecting one’s side.
Sañjaya reports that someone quickly pulls/drives a person away from Śaineya (Sātyaki), who is described as highly skilled in battle—indicating a tactical extraction from a dangerous engagement with a formidable warrior.