Shloka 13
Kṛtavarmā–Sātyaki Chariot Duel and Kaurava Morale Shock (कृतवर्म-सात्यकि-द्वैरथम्)
तमापतन्तं सहसा तु दृष्टवा पाज्चालपुत्र युधि राजसिंह: । त॑ वै द्विपं प्रेषयामास तूर्ण वधाय राजन द्रुपदात्मजस्य,राजन! पांचालपुत्र धृष्टद्युम्नको युद्धमें सहसा आक्रमण करते देख नृपश्रेष्ठ शाल्वने उस हाथीको उनके वधके लिये तुरंत ही उनकी ओर बढ़ाया
tam āpatantaṃ sahasā tu dṛṣṭvā pāñcālaputra yudhi rājasimhaḥ | taṃ vai dvipaṃ preṣayāmāsa tūrṇaṃ vadhāya rājan drupadātmajasya ||
Sañjaya berkata: Melihat putra Pāñcāla tiba-tiba menerjang dalam pertempuran, Śālva—singa di antara raja-raja—segera mengerahkan gajah itu, wahai Raja, dengan maksud membunuh putra Drupada.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: swift perception and decisive action are praised as royal virtues, yet they are employed toward lethal ends. It reflects how, in the Kurukṣetra context, duty and strategy often override compassion, revealing the grim moral cost of war.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the Pāñcāla prince and son of Drupada, suddenly charges in battle. Observing this, the king Śālva promptly sends an elephant against him with the aim of killing him, as Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.