Shloka 12
Bhagadattā’s Deployment Against Ghaṭotkaca; Elephant-Corps Escalation
भीमस्तु सारथिं हत्वा भीष्मस्य रथिनां वर: । प्रद्रुताश्वे रथे तस्मिन् द्रवमाणे समनन््तत:ः,इसी समय रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ भीमसेनने भीष्मके सारथिको मार डाला। फिर तो उनके घोड़े उस रथको लेकर रणभूमिमें चारों ओर दौड़ लगाने लगे
bhīmas tu sārathiṃ hatvā bhīṣmasya rathināṃ varaḥ | pradrutāśve rathe tasmin dravamāṇe samanantataḥ ||
Sanjaya said: Bhima, foremost among chariot-warriors, slew Bhishma’s charioteer. With the driver fallen, the horses—now running wild—dragged that chariot as it sped about the battlefield in every direction. The episode underscores how, in war, striking a key support (the charioteer) can unmake even a great warrior’s control, raising hard questions about necessity, propriety, and the ethics of disabling an opponent’s means rather than meeting him directly.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare often turns on supports and systems (like the charioteer) rather than only on the famed warrior. It invites reflection on kshatriya-dharma and battlefield ethics: whether disabling an enemy’s capacity to fight—by removing the driver—counts as necessary strategy or a morally fraught act, and how quickly order can collapse into chaos when control is lost.
Sanjaya reports that Bhima kills Bhishma’s charioteer. As a result, Bhishma’s chariot, with horses no longer guided, rushes about the battlefield in all directions, indicating a momentary loss of command and tactical disruption around Bhishma.