Shloka 64
ततः स मुक्तिर्दशभिर्जघान सभापति काज्चनवर्मनद्धम् । एक बाणसे कर्णकी ध्वजाको बींधकर अर्जुनने चार बाणोंसे शल्यको और तीनसे कर्णको घायल कर दिया। तत्पश्चात् उन्होंने दस बाण छोड़कर सुवर्णमय कवच धारण करनेवाले सभापति नामक राजकुमारको मार डाला ।।
tataḥ sa muktir daśabhir jaghāna sabhāpatiṃ kāñcanavarmanaddham | eka-bāṇena karṇakī-dhvajāko vidhya karṇaṃ caturbhir bāṇaiḥ śalyaṃ ca trībhiḥ kṛtvā kṣatam || tataḥ sa rājaputro viśirā vibāhuḥ vivājisūto vidhanuḥ viketuḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Alors Arjuna abattit de dix flèches le prince nommé Sabhāpati, bien qu’il fût revêtu d’une armure d’or. D’un seul trait il perça l’emblème du drapeau de Karṇa ; de quatre il blessa Śalya ; et de trois il blessa Karṇa. Puis ce fils de roi s’effondra—la tête et les bras tranchés, le cocher et les chevaux tués, l’arc brisé et l’étendard détruit—révélant la violence implacable et croissante du champ de bataille.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim logic of kṣatriya warfare: excellence in skill and unwavering resolve decide outcomes, yet every display of prowess is inseparable from suffering and irreversible loss. It invites reflection on dharma in war—duty performed with precision, but within a tragic moral landscape.
Arjuna rapidly escalates his attack: he pierces Karṇa’s banner with one arrow, wounds Śalya with four, wounds Karṇa with three, and then kills the armored prince Sabhāpati with ten arrows. The fallen prince is described as utterly disabled—head and arms cut off, charioteer and horses slain, bow broken, and standard destroyed.