Shloka 11
तेषां च रथिनां मध्ये कौन्तेयौ भरतर्षभौ,एकैकं त्रिभिरानर्च्छत् कड़ुकबर्हिणवाजितै: । उसके बाद सुशर्मा और कृपाचार्यको भी तीन-तीन बाणोंसे बींध डाला। राजेन्द्र! फिर समरांगणमें प्राग्ज्योतिषनरेश भगदत्त, सिन्धुराज जयद्रथ, चित्रसेन, विकर्ण, कृतवर्मा, दुर्मीषण तथा महारथी विन्द और अनुविन्द--इनमैंसे प्रत्येकको गीधकी पाँखसे युक्त तीन- तीन बाणोंद्वारा विशेष पीड़ा दी
teṣāṃ ca rathināṃ madhye kaunteyau bharatarṣabhau | ekaikaṃ tribhir ānarcchat kaḍukabarhiṇavājitaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In the midst of those chariot-warriors, the two sons of Kuntī—bulls among the Bharatas—honoured each opponent in turn with three arrows, feathered like the wings of a vulture, striking them with deliberate precision. Thereafter they also pierced Suśarmā and Kṛpācārya with three arrows each. Then, on the battlefield, they inflicted special pain—again with three such arrows apiece—upon Bhagadatta, king of Prāgjyotiṣa, Jayadratha the king of Sindhu, Citraseṇa, Vikarṇa, Kṛtavarmā, Durmiṣaṇa, and the great chariot-warriors Vinda and Anuvinda.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma expressed as disciplined, measured force: the warriors do not strike wildly but ‘honour’ each foe with a set, controlled volley, showing mastery, resolve, and the grim ethic of battlefield duty where prowess and accountability are displayed publicly.
Sañjaya reports that the two Kaunteya brothers, amid the chariot-warriors, systematically shoot key Kaurava allies—first in general, then specifically Suśarmā and Kṛpa, and afterward prominent fighters like Bhagadatta and Jayadratha—each being hit with three feathered arrows, indicating a coordinated and effective counterattack in the Kurukṣetra war.