Shloka 21
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
इरावांस्तु रणे क्रुद्धों भ्रातरो तौ महारथौ | ववर्ष शरवर्षेण सारथिं चाप्पपातयत्,तब इरावानने भी रणक्षेत्रमें क्ुद्ध होकर उन दोनों महारथी बन्धुओंपर बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ कर दी और उनके सारथिको मार गिराया
irāvāṁs tu raṇe kruddho bhrātarau tau mahārathau | vavarṣa śaravarṣeṇa sārathiṁ cāpy apātayat ||
Sañjaya said: In the fury of battle, Irāvān showered the two brother-mahārathas with a storm of arrows, and he struck down their charioteer as well—an act that, in the ethics of war, aims to disable an opponent’s mobility and command without directly engaging the principal warrior at that instant.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield strategy within kṣatriya-dharma: disabling an enemy’s operational capacity (here, by felling the charioteer) can decisively shift combat, while also raising ethical questions about proportionality and the limits of acceptable targets in war.
Sañjaya reports that Irāvān, enraged in the fight, attacks two brother warriors with a dense volley of arrows and brings down their charioteer, thereby disrupting their chariot and immediate ability to respond effectively.