Shloka 23
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 109 — Karṇa–Bhīma Yuddha and Durmukha’s Fall (कर्णभीमयुद्धम्; दुर्मुखवधः)
अथापरेण भल्लेन पीतेन निशितेन ह । चिच्छेद सारथे: कायाच्छिरो ज्वलितकुण्डलम्
athāpareṇa bhallena pītena niśitena ha | ciccheda sāratheḥ kāyāc chiro jvalitakuṇḍalam ||
Sañjaya said: Then, with another sharp, yellow-hued bhalla arrow, he severed from the charioteer’s body the head adorned with blazing earrings. The verse underscores the brutal precision of battlefield skill, where even non-combatants like charioteers become targets, raising a stark ethical tension between martial success and the erosion of restraint in war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can collapse ordinary moral boundaries: technical prowess and victory-driven intent may extend lethal force even to supporting figures like charioteers, prompting reflection on restraint (maryādā) and the ethical cost of unchecked martial ambition.
In Sañjaya’s battlefield report, a warrior shoots another sharp bhalla arrow and cleanly severs the charioteer’s head—described as gleaming with earrings—from his body, emphasizing the ferocity and precision of the ongoing combat.