Shloka 15
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
अथैनं छिन्नथन्वानं नाराचेन स्तनान्तरे । निर्बिभेद रणे राजा सर्वसैन्यस्य पश्यत:,राजन! धनुष कट जानेपर महाबली राजा युधिष्ठिरने श्रुतायुकी छातीमें नाराचसे प्रहार किया। फिर उन्होंने समस्त सेनाओंके देखते-देखते रणक्षेत्रमें महामना श्रुतायुके घोड़ोंको तुरंत मार डाला और उसके सारथिको भी शीघ्र ही मौतके मुखमें डाल दिया
atha enaṃ chinnathanvānaṃ nārācena stanāntare | nirbibheda raṇe rājā sarvasainyasya paśyataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then the king, before the eyes of the entire army, pierced him—his bow already cut—right in the chest with a nārāca arrow on the battlefield. The scene underscores the harsh clarity of kṣatriya warfare: once a combatant is disarmed, the struggle still turns on decisive action, witnessed and judged by all, where prowess and responsibility for one’s side’s survival override personal hesitation.
संजय उवाच