Shloka 68
Nakula–Śakuni Duel and the Night Battle; Śikhaṇḍin–Kṛpa Engagement (नकुल-शकुनियुद्धं तथा रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
प्रवरं वृष्णिवीराणां यन्न हन्याद्धि सात्यकिम् । महाद्विपमिवारण्ये मृगेन्द्र इव कर्षति,जैसे सिंह वनमें किसी महान् गजराजको खींचता है, उसी प्रकार ये भूरिश्रवा वृष्णिवंशके प्रमुख वीर सात्यकिको खींच रहे हैं, उसे मार नहीं रहे हैं
pravaraṁ vṛṣṇivīrāṇāṁ yan na hanyāddhi sātyakim | mahādvipam ivāraṇye mṛgendra iva karṣati ||
Sañjaya said: “Bhūriśravas is not striking down Sātyaki, the foremost among the Vṛṣṇi heroes; rather, he is dragging him—just as a lion in the forest drags a mighty elephant. The scene underscores a grim restraint amid battle: the intent is to overpower and humiliate by forceful capture, not to kill at that instant.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, the verse highlights a distinction between killing and subduing: Bhūriśravas chooses to overpower and drag Sātyaki rather than immediately slay him, pointing to the complex ethics of combat where restraint, dominance, and intent matter.
Sañjaya describes Bhūriśravas physically dragging Sātyaki, comparing the act to a lion dragging a great elephant in the forest. Sātyaki is being overpowered and pulled along rather than being killed at that moment.