Shloka 493
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — सात्यकि-अलम्बुसयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue; Account of Sātyaki vs Alambusa
आकृष्य राजजन्नाकर्णाद् विव्याधोरसि सात्यकिम् | राजन्! वक्रमतिसे चलनेवाले अग्निके समान तेजस्वी वत्सदन््त नामक बाणको धनुषपर रखकर कृतवर्मने उसे कानतक खींचा और उसके द्वारा सात्यकिकी छातीमें प्रहार किया
sañjaya uvāca | ākṛṣya rājann ākārṇād vivyādhorasi sātyakim | rājann vakramatir iva calanevāle agneḥ samāna tejasvī vatsadanta-nāmakaṃ bāṇaṃ dhanuṣi nidhāya kṛtavarmā tam ākārṇam ākarṣya tena sātyaker urasi prāharat |
Sanjaya said: O King, drawing the bowstring back to the ear, Kṛtavarmā pierced Sātyaki in the chest. Placing on his bow a blazing arrow named Vatsadanta—brilliant like fire and swift in its course—he pulled it to the ear and struck Sātyaki’s breast. The scene underscores the relentless escalation of the battle, where skill and resolve are turned toward lethal ends, and the warrior’s discipline is severed from compassion amid the demands of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the pressure of war, martial discipline and technical mastery can be directed toward destruction; it invites reflection on the ethical cost of violence even when performed under the banner of kṣatriya duty.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṛtavarmā fully draws his bow and shoots a powerful arrow named Vatsadanta, striking Sātyaki in the chest during the fighting in Droṇa Parva.