Shloka 28
चक्ररक्षौ तु पाञज्चाल्यावर्जुनस्य पदानुगौ | पर्यवारयदायान्तौ कृतवर्मा रथेषुभि:,वे दोनों पांचाल वीर अर्जुनके चक्ररक्षक होकर उनके पीछे-पीछे जा रहे थे। कृतवर्माने अपने रथ और बाणोंद्वारा वहाँ आते हुए उन दोनों वीरोंको रोक दिया
cakrarakṣau tu pāñcālyāv arjunasya padānugau | paryavārayad āyāntau kṛtavarmā ratheṣubhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The two Pāñcāla warriors, serving as Arjuna’s wheel-guards and following close behind him, advanced on. Kṛtavarmā, however, checked those two as they came forward, opposing them with his chariot and volleys of arrows—an episode that highlights how, in war, even protective duty and loyal following are met by equally resolute resistance from the other side.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the disciplined roles within dharmic warfare—protection, formation-keeping, and countering the enemy. Even a defensive duty like guarding a leader’s chariot is ethically weighty and strategically crucial, and it is met by an opponent’s equally determined obligation to resist.
Two Pāñcāla fighters are acting as Arjuna’s wheel-guards and following behind him. As they advance, Kṛtavarmā confronts them and halts their movement using his chariot’s position and a barrage of arrows.