Shloka 39
द्रौणिप्रतिज्ञा–नारायणास्त्रवर्णनम्
Drauṇi’s Vow and the Description of the Nārāyaṇāstra
तत्र भारत पुत्रस्ते कृतवान् कर्म दुष्करम् | प्रतिविन्ध्यहयानुग्रै: पातयामास सायकै:,भारत! उस समय वहाँ आपके पुत्रने एक दुष्कर पराक्रम कर दिखाया। उसने अपने भयंकर बाणोंद्वारा प्रतिविन्ध्यके घोड़ोंको मार गिराया
tatra bhārata putras te kṛtavān karma duṣkaram | prativindhyahayān ugraiḥ pātayāmāsa sāyakaiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Di sana, wahai Bhārata, putramu melakukan perbuatan yang amat sukar. Dengan anak panah yang garang ia merobohkan kuda-kuda Prativindhya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh pragmatics of battlefield dharma: victory often turns on disabling an enemy’s capacity to fight (here, by bringing down the horses). It invites reflection on how ‘heroic’ success in war can still rest upon ethically troubling acts of destruction.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son accomplished a difficult feat by shooting fierce arrows that brought down Prativindhya’s horses, thereby impairing Prativindhya’s chariot and combat effectiveness.