Shloka 94
स चक्ररक्षानथ पादरक्षान् पुर:सरान् पृष्ठगोपांश्व॒ सर्वान् दुर्योधनेनानुमतानरिध्न: समुद्यतान् स रथान् सारभूतान्
sa cakrarakṣān atha pādarakṣān puraḥsarān pṛṣṭhagopāṁś ca sarvān | duryodhanenānumatān aridhnaḥ samudyatān sa rathān sāra-bhūtān ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô seigneur des hommes, alors Arjuna—Savyasācī, héros sans égal et destructeur des ennemis—abattit en un instant tous ces guerriers kouravas de premier rang qui servaient de gardes à Karṇa : gardes des roues, gardes à pied, avant-garde et arrière-garde. Approuvés et commandés par Duryodhana, toujours prêts au combat et formant le cœur même de l’armée kourava, ils furent envoyés à la mort avec leurs chars, leurs chevaux et leurs cochers.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership in war: Duryodhana’s command drives elite fighters into lethal conflict, and even the best-protected formations collapse before superior skill. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that martial excellence does not cancel the tragic cost of violence.
During the Karṇa–Arjuna confrontation, Arjuna swiftly destroys the Kaurava contingent assigned as Karṇa’s protective screen—wheel-guards, foot-guards, vanguard, and rear-guard—killing them along with their chariots, horses, and charioteers.