Shloka 40
अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel
दुर्मुखश्न॒ द्वादशभी राजन् विव्याध सात्यकिम् | दुर्योधनस्त्रिसप्तत्या विद्ूध्वा भारत माधवम्
Durmukhaś ca dvādaśabhir, rājan, vivyādha Sātyakim | Duryodhanas tri-saptatyā viddhvā Bhārata Mādhavam ||
Sañjaya said: O King, Durmukha pierced Sātyaki with twelve arrows; and Duryodhana, O descendant of Bharata, struck Mādhava with seventy-three shafts—pressing the battle forward with relentless force and intent.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the escalating intensity of war and the kṣatriya arena where prowess is measured by force and endurance; ethically, it highlights how conflict draws even revered figures into violence, reminding the listener (the king) of the grave momentum unleashed by adharma-driven rivalry.
Sañjaya reports battlefield events: Durmukha wounds Sātyaki with twelve arrows, and Duryodhana then strikes Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) with seventy-three arrows, indicating a fierce exchange and the Kauravas’ aggressive push in that moment.