Shloka 23
भूरिश्रवसः गर्हा, प्रायोपवेशः, सात्यकिकृतशिरच्छेदः
Bhūriśravas’s Censure, Prāyopaveśa, and Sātyaki’s Beheading
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे चैव कुरुराजं महारथम् । अवाकिरच्छरैईष्टो बहुभिर्मर्म भेदिभि:,तदनन्तर हर्षमें भरे हुए सात्यकिने महारथी कुरुराज दुर्योधनपर बहुत-से मर्मभेदी बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ कर दी
etasminn antare caiva kururājaṃ mahāratham | avākirac charaiḥ iṣṭo bahubhir marma-bhedibhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In the meantime, Sātyaki—exultant and intent on striking true—began to shower the Kuru king Duryodhana, that great chariot-warrior, with many arrows that pierced the vital points. The scene underscores how, in the fury of battle, skill and resolve are directed toward disabling the opponent decisively, even as the larger war continues to test the bounds of kṣatriya duty and restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic where a warrior’s duty is executed through focused skill and resolve; yet it also implicitly raises the moral tension of war—how decisive action against an enemy can be ‘right’ within kṣatriya-dharma while still contributing to the tragic escalation of violence.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki, filled with martial ardor, launches a heavy volley of vital-point-piercing arrows at Duryodhana, the Kuru king, intensifying the duel and the broader clash in Droṇa Parva.