Shloka 5
अथान्यद् धनुरादाय बृहत्क्षत्रो हसन्निव । व्यश्वसूतरथं चक्रे क्षेमधूर्ति महारथम्,तदनन्तर बृहत्क्षत्रने दूसरा धनुष हाथमें लेकर हँसते-हँसते महारथी क्षेमधूर्तिको घोड़ों, सारथि और रथसे हीन कर दिया
athānyad dhanur ādāya bṛhatkṣatro hasann iva | vyaśvasūtarathaṃ cakre kṣemadhūrtiṃ mahāratham ||
Sañjaya said: Then Bṛhatkṣatra took up another bow and, as if laughing, he stripped the great chariot-warrior Kṣemadhūrti of his chariot’s supports—horses, charioteer, and car—reducing him to helplessness in the midst of battle. The scene underscores the ruthless efficiency of war, where prowess is measured by the ability to disable an opponent’s means of fighting rather than merely to kill.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where victory often comes by disabling an opponent’s capacity to fight (horses, charioteer, chariot), not only by direct killing. It also reflects the grim reality of kṣatriya warfare: skill and strategy can be exercised with chilling composure, raising questions about restraint and the moral cost of martial excellence.
Sañjaya reports that Bṛhatkṣatra picks up another bow and attacks Kṣemadhūrti so effectively that Kṣemadhūrti is left without horses, charioteer, and chariot—i.e., his war-chariot is neutralized and he is rendered vulnerable on the battlefield.