Shloka 38
विरथं तं समालोक्य हताश्वं हतसारथिम् । महता शरवर्षेण च्छादयामास संयुगे,भूरिश्रवाने धृष्टकेतुको घोड़े और सारथिके मारे जानेसे रथहीन हुआ देख युद्धस्थलमें बाणोंकी बड़ी भारी वर्षा करके ढक दिया
virathaṃ taṃ samālokya hatāśvaṃ hatasārathim | mahatā śaravarṣeṇa cchādayāmāsa saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing him left without a chariot—his horses slain and his charioteer killed—Dṛṣṭaketu, in the thick of battle, covered Bhūriśravas with a mighty shower of arrows. The scene underscores the ruthless momentum of war, where a moment of vulnerability is immediately exploited, raising the ethical tension between martial duty and compassion toward a disadvantaged foe.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral strain of battlefield conduct: when an opponent becomes disadvantaged (chariotless, without horses and charioteer), the warrior’s duty to press the fight collides with ideals of fairness and restraint. It frames the Mahābhārata’s recurring question—how dharma is to be upheld amid the compulsions of war.
Dṛṣṭaketu notices Bhūriśravas has become chariotless because his horses and charioteer have been killed. Taking advantage of this exposed state, he unleashes a heavy barrage of arrows, effectively covering/overwhelming him on the battlefield, as reported by Sañjaya.