Shloka 66
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — सात्यकि-अलम्बुसयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue; Account of Sātyaki vs Alambusa
सात्वतेन महाराज शतधाभिव्यशीर्यत । तदनन्तर सात्यकिके रथके समीप महान् कोलाहल मच गया। महाराज! चारों ओरसे दौड़कर आती हुई आपके पुत्रकी सेना सात्यकिके बाणोंसे आच्छादित हो सैकड़ों टुकड़ियोंमें बँटकर तितत-बितर हो गयी,यतमानांश्व तान् सर्वानीषद्विगतचेतस: । अभितस्तान् शरौघेण क्लान्तवाहानकारयत् राजन्! वीर कृतवर्मने पराक्रम करके उनको रोक दिया। वे सभी वीर कुछ-कुछ शिथिल एवं अचेत-से हो रहे थे तो भी अपनी विजयके लिये प्रयत्नशील थे; परंतु कृतवर्मानि सब ओरसे उनके ऊपर बाणसमूहोंकी वर्षा करके उनके वाहनोंको व्याकुल कर दिया
saṃjaya uvāca |
sātvaten mahārāja śatadhābhivyaśīryata |
tad-anantaraṃ sātyakike rathake samīpe mahān kolāhalo 'bhavat |
mahārāja! catur-diśaṃ dhāvatī tava putrasya senā sātyakinaḥ bāṇair āchāditā satadhā vibhajya titat-bitarābhavat |
yatamānāṃs tān sarvān īṣad-vigata-cetasaḥ |
abhitas tān śaraughena klānta-vāhān akārayat |
rājan! vīraḥ kṛtavarmā parākrameṇa tān nyavārayat |
te sarve vīrāḥ kiṃcit-śithilā iva acetasa iva ca bhūtvāpi vijayāya yatamānā āsan; kintu kṛtavarmā sarvataḥ śara-samūha-varṣeṇa teṣāṃ vāhanāni vyākulayām āsa ||
Sanjaya said: O King, the Sātvata warrior shattered your son’s forces into hundreds of fragments. Then, near Sātyaki’s chariot, a great uproar arose. Rushing in from all sides, your son’s army—covered over by Sātyaki’s arrows—broke apart and scattered. Though still striving for victory, they became somewhat dazed; and Sātyaki, hemming them in with torrents of shafts, wearied and distressed their mounts and vehicles. At that moment the hero Kṛtavarman, by his prowess, checked them. Even as those warriors fought on for triumph, Kṛtavarman rained arrows from every side and threw their conveyances into confusion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya exertion: even when shaken and disoriented, warriors continue striving for their chosen objective, while opposing heroes answer force with disciplined counter-force. It also underscores how leadership and timely resistance (Kṛtavarman’s intervention) can prevent total rout amid chaos.
Sātyaki breaks and scatters the Kaurava-side troops with heavy arrow-fire, creating tumult near his chariot. As the troops become partially dazed yet still fight on, Kṛtavarman arrives and checks Sātyaki’s pressure by surrounding them with his own volleys, disturbing their mounts and vehicles.