Shloka 473
सात्यकि: कृतवर्माणिं प्रत्यविध्यत् स्तनान्तरे । तदनन्तर पुनः झुकी हुई गाँठवाले सोलह बाण मारकर सात्यकिने कृतवर्माकी छातीमें गहरी चोट पहुँचायी
sātyakiḥ kṛtavarmāṇaṁ pratyavidhyat stanāntare | tadanantaraṁ punaḥ śoḍaśa bāṇān gāṇṭhavataḥ (vakrān) nipātya sātyakinā kṛtavarmaṇaḥ kṣasi gāḍhā viddhā kṛtā ||
Sañjaya said: Sātyaki struck Kṛtavarmā in the space between the breasts. Immediately afterward, he again released sixteen knot-jointed (crooked) arrows, inflicting a deep wound in Kṛtavarmā’s chest. The scene underscores the relentless escalation of combat in the Kurukṣetra war, where prowess and resolve drive warriors to ever more forceful blows, even as the ethical weight of violence continues to accumulate.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intensity of kṣatriya warfare: skill and determination can drive repeated, escalating strikes. Ethically, it points to the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—duty in war versus the accumulating moral burden of violence.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki first pierces Kṛtavarmā in the chest, then immediately follows with sixteen specially described arrows, causing a severe wound—depicting a fierce duel amid the broader Drona Parva battles.