Shloka 5
द्रोणनिन्दाश्रवणं तथा सात्यकि–पार्षतविवादः
Hearing the reproach of Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Pārṣata dispute
तस्य कर्णो हयान् हत्वा शरै: संनतपर्वभि: । सारथिं चास्य भल््लेन द्रुतं निन्ये यमक्षयम्,तब कर्णने झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणोंसे सहदेवके घोड़ोंको मारकर एक भल्लका प्रहार करके उनके सारथिको भी शीघ्र ही यमलोक पहुँचा दिया
tasya karṇo hayān hatvā śaraiḥ sannatapārvasandhibhiḥ | sārathiṃ cāsya bhallena drutaṃ ninye yamakṣayam ||
Sañjaya said: Karṇa, having slain his horses with arrows whose joints were bent, then with a single bhalla-shaft swiftly sent his charioteer to Yama’s imperishable realm. The scene underscores the ruthless efficiency of battlefield skill, where mastery in arms overrides ordinary bonds of service and protection amid the collapse of chariot-war order.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim ethic of Kurukṣetra warfare: martial excellence and tactical targeting (horses and charioteer) can decide combat swiftly, reminding readers that in war even non-royal attendants become vulnerable, and death is portrayed as an inevitable passage to Yama’s realm.
Sañjaya narrates that Karṇa first kills Sahadeva’s horses with jointed/bent-shaft arrows, immobilizing the chariot, and then strikes down Sahadeva’s charioteer with a bhalla-arrow, sending him quickly to the abode of Yama.