Shloka 56
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
युधामन्योर्ध्वजं सूतं छत्रं चापातयत् क्षितौ । ततो<पायाद् रथेनैव युधामन्युर्महारथ:
yudhāmanyor dhvajaṃ sūtaṃ chatraṃ cāpātayat kṣitau | tato 'pāyād rathenaiva yudhāmanyur mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : (Kṛpa) fit tomber à terre l’étendard, le cocher et le parasol royal de Yudhāmanyu. Alors Yudhāmanyu, grand guerrier de char, se retira du champ de bataille sur son char.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that in dharma-yuddha, valor is not mere stubbornness; when the practical supports of command and mobility collapse (driver, standard, insignia), strategic withdrawal can be the wiser course, preserving life and capacity for future duty.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhāmanyu knocks down the chariot’s banner, charioteer, and parasol, and then Yudhāmanyu—described as a mahāratha—withdraws from that spot in his chariot.