Shloka 17
ततो ययावर्जुन एव येन निवार्य सैन्यं तव मार्गणौचै: । सदश्वयुक्तेन रथेन राज- ल्लाॉँक॑ विसिस्मापयिषुर्नुवीर:,राजन! तदनन्तर लोगोंको आश्वर्यवयकित करनेकी इच्छावाले नरवीर सात्यकि अपने सुन्दर अश्वोंसे जुते हुए रथके द्वारा बाणसमूहोंसे आपकी सेनाको हटाते हुए उसी मार्गसे चल दिये, जिससे अर्जुन गये थे
tato yayāv arjuna eva yena nivārya sainyaṃ tava mārgaṇair ucchaiḥ | sad-aśva-yuktena rathena rājan visismāpayiṣur nu vīraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then the hero Sātyaki set out along the very route by which Arjuna had gone. O King, driving a chariot yoked with excellent horses, and wishing to astonish the people, he forced back your army with volleys of arrows and advanced on that same path. The scene underscores the warrior’s resolve and loyalty in battle—using disciplined force to clear a way, not for plunder, but to pursue a strategic and dutiful objective amid the moral pressure of fratricidal war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma expressed as disciplined courage and loyal action: Sātyaki advances with strategic purpose, clearing a path through forceful but directed combat, emphasizing duty and steadfast support of allies amid the ethical strain of war.
Sañjaya reports to the king that Sātyaki, eager to display prowess, drives his well-horsed chariot along the same route Arjuna took, pushing back the king’s forces with showers of arrows to open and secure the passage.