Shloka 22
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 125: Duryodhana’s despair and vow after Jayadratha’s fall (जयद्रथवधे दुर्योधनविलापः)
सतुतंप्रतिविव्याध पञज्चभिरनिशितै: शरै:
sūtaṁ pratīvīvyādha pañcabhir aniśitaiḥ śaraiḥ
Sañjaya said: He then struck the charioteer with five keen, unerring arrows—an act that underscores how, in the fury of battle, even those who merely serve the warrior’s task become targets, revealing the war’s moral erosion and the widening circle of harm.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a grim ethical insight of warfare: once violence escalates, even non-combatant functionaries like charioteers become vulnerable, showing how adharma can spread through the battlefield by normalizing harm beyond the primary duelists.
In Sañjaya’s report of the battle, a warrior shoots and pierces the opposing charioteer with five sharp arrows, indicating an aggressive tactical move aimed at disabling the enemy’s mobility and command on the field.