Shloka 32
तान् निवार्य शरान् शूर: शैनेय: कृतहस्तवत् | साश्व॒सूतध्वजं बाणैरव्याच्रिदत्तमपातयत्,तब शूरवीर शिनिनन्दन सात्यकिने सिद्धहस्त पुरुषकी भाँति उन बाणोंका निवारण करके अपने बाणोंद्वारा घोड़ों, सारथि और ध्वजसहित व्याप्रदत्तको मार गिराया
tān nivārya śarān śūraḥ śaineyaḥ kṛtahastavat | sāśva-sūta-dhvajam bāṇair avyāchṛdattam apātayat ||
Sañjaya said: The heroic Śaineya (Sātyaki), with the practiced ease of a master archer, warded off those arrows. Then, with his own shafts, he struck down Avyāchṛdatta together with his horses, charioteer, and banner—an act that displays the ruthless precision of battle where prowess is measured by protecting one’s side and swiftly neutralizing a threat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethic of battlefield responsibility: skill is not merely display but the capacity to defend against incoming harm and decisively remove a danger to one’s side. It also underscores the moral gravity of war—victory is achieved through lethal efficiency, often extending to the enemy’s support system (horses, charioteer, standard).
Sañjaya narrates that Sātyaki first parries the opponent’s arrows and then counterattacks, bringing down Avyāchṛdatta along with the entire chariot ensemble—horses, charioteer, and banner—signaling a complete defeat on the field.