Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 38
Adhyāya 55: Pārtha–Rādheya Saṃvāda and Tactical Exchange
Chapter 55
तस्मिन् विद्धे महेष्वासे कर्णे सर्वास्त्रकोविदे | हताश्वसूते विरथे ततोडनीकमभज्यत
tasmin viddhe maheṣvāse karṇe sarvāstrakovide | hatāśvasūte virathe tato 'nīkam abhajyata ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : Lorsque Karṇa, grand archer versé en toutes les armes, fut atteint, et lorsque ses chevaux et son cocher furent tués, le laissant sans char, l’ordonnance du combat se rompit. Voyant le maître d’armes renommé réduit à l’impuissance et ses appuis anéantis, les troupes perdirent leur cohésion, et la déroute se répandit dans toute l’armée.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a practical ethical insight of warfare and governance: collective order depends heavily on key supports—leaders, logistics, and morale. When a renowned champion is disabled and his immediate supports (horses, charioteer, chariot) are destroyed, fear and confusion can spread rapidly, causing the wider force to collapse.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Karṇa, famed as a great archer and master of all weapons, is struck; his horses and charioteer are killed, leaving him without a chariot. As a result, the battle formation (anīka) breaks and the army falls into a rout.