Shloka 19
भूरिश्रवसः गर्हा, प्रायोपवेशः, सात्यकिकृतशिरच्छेदः
Bhūriśravas’s Censure, Prāyopaveśa, and Sātyaki’s Beheading
स च्छाद्यमानो बहुभिस्तव पुत्रैर्महारथै:,आपके बहुसंख्यक महारथी पुत्रोंद्वारा बाणोंसे आच्छादित किये जानेपर सात्यकिने उनमेंसे एक-एकको पहले पाँच-पाँच बाणोंसे घायल किया। फिर सात-सात बाणोंसे बींध डाला। तत्पश्चात् तुरंत ही आठ शीघ्रगामी बाणोंद्वारा दुर्योधनको भी गहरी चोट पहुँचायी
sa cchādyamāno bahubhis tava putrair mahārathaiḥ, tān ekaikaṃ pūrvaṃ pañcabhiḥ pañcabhiḥ śaraiḥ sātayakiḥ samavidhyat | tataḥ saptabhiḥ saptabhiḥ śaraiḥ bibheda | tataḥ kṣipram eva aṣṭabhiḥ śīghragaibhiḥ śaraiḥ duryodhanaṃ api gāḍhaṃ jaghāna |
Sañjaya said: Though being covered on all sides by the many great chariot-warriors who were your sons, Sātyaki struck them one by one—first wounding each with five arrows, then piercing each again with seven. Immediately thereafter, with eight swift-flying shafts, he dealt Duryodhana a deep and grievous blow. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where prowess and resolve drive action even amid overwhelming opposition, and where the ethical tension of kṣatriya-duty plays out through measured, escalating force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos in wartime: steadfastness under pressure, tactical precision, and unwavering resolve. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between duty-bound combat and the tragic cost of violence—skill and courage are praised, yet the narrative keeps the reader aware that such excellence unfolds within a morally weighty, destructive conflict.
Sātyaki is being showered with arrows by many Kaurava great warriors (described as Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons). In response, he targets them individually, first wounding each with five arrows, then piercing each with seven more, and finally he swiftly strikes Duryodhana himself with eight fast arrows, inflicting a severe wound.