Shloka 63
अलंबलवधः (Alaṃbala-vadhaḥ) / The Slaying of Alaṃbala and the Advance toward Karṇa
बिभेद सर्वगात्रेषु पुन: पुनररिंदम । सारथिं चास्य भल्लेन रथनीडादपातयत्,शत्रुओंका दमन करनेवाले महाराज! तदनन्तर शिनिपौत्र सात्यकिने सम्पूर्णत:ः लोहमय बाणोंद्वारा कर्णको उसके सारे अंगोंमें बारंबार चोट पहुँचायी और एक भल्लद्दवारा उसके सारथिको रथकी बैठकसे नीचे गिरा दिया
sañjaya uvāca |
bibheda sarvagātreṣu punaḥ punar ariṃdama |
sārathiṃ cāsya bhallena rathanīḍād apātayat ||
Wahai penakluk musuh, Sātyaki cucu Śini berulang kali menembus Karṇa di sekujur tubuhnya dengan anak panah bermata besi; dan dengan bhalla yang tajam ia menjatuhkan sais Karṇa dari tempat duduk kereta.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in dharma-war, prowess is expressed through precise tactics—disabling an opponent’s capacity to fight (here, by wounding and unseating the charioteer). It also implicitly invites reflection on the ethical gravity of battlefield actions: effectiveness and duty operate alongside the human cost.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki repeatedly wounds Karṇa across his body with iron arrows and then uses a bhalla to knock Karṇa’s charioteer down from the chariot-seat, a decisive move that can disrupt control of the chariot and momentum in combat.