Shloka 16
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
सत्वरं च रणे राजंस्तस्य वाहान् महात्मन: । निजघान शरै:ः क्षिप्रं सूतं च सुमहाबल:,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
sa-tvaraṁ ca raṇe rājan tasya vāhān mahātmanaḥ | nijaghāna śaraiḥ kṣipraṁ sūtaṁ ca sumahābalaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, in the thick of battle, the exceedingly mighty warrior swiftly struck down with arrows the horses of that high-souled hero, and quickly slew his charioteer as well.” In the ethical frame of the epic, the verse underscores the ruthless efficiency of kṣatriya warfare, where disabling a chariot—by killing its horses and driver—becomes a decisive tactic that turns valor into vulnerability on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a pragmatic aspect of kṣatriya-dharma in war: victory often depends on disabling an opponent’s mobility and support system (horses and charioteer), showing how quickly fortune shifts when the instruments of power are cut down.
Sañjaya reports to the king that a very powerful fighter rapidly kills the horses of a noble warrior’s chariot and then kills the charioteer, effectively neutralizing that chariot in the midst of combat.