Shloka 35
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 19 — Saṃśaptaka–Trigarta Assault and Aindra-astra Counter
सूतमेकेषुणा हत्वा महाजलदनि:स्वनम् । धनुश्कित्त्वार्थचन्द्रेण तिलशो व्यधमद् रथम्,फिर एक बाणसे सारथिको मारकर महान् मेघके समान गम्भीर शब्द करनेवाले उनके धनुषको भी अर्धचन्द्राकार बाणके द्वारा काट दिया और उनके रथको तिल-तिल करके नष्ट कर डाला
sūtam ekeṣuṇā hatvā mahājaladaniḥsvanam | dhanuś chittvārthacandreṇa tilaśo vyadhamad ratham ||
Sañjaya said: With a single arrow he slew the charioteer, whose voice resounded like a great thundercloud. Then, with a crescent-headed shaft, he cut down the bow, and he shattered the chariot into fragments—reducing it piece by piece. The scene underscores the ruthless efficiency of battlefield skill, where the destruction of a warrior’s supports (driver, bow, and chariot) swiftly strips him of agency and protection, raising the grim ethical tension between martial prowess and the escalating cruelty of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, victory often comes by dismantling an opponent’s supports—driver, weapon, and vehicle—showing both the strategic intelligence of the attacker and the moral darkness of escalating destruction. It invites reflection on the ethical strain of warfare, where skill can become indistinguishable from cruelty.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s rapid, decisive attack: he kills the charioteer with one arrow, then uses a crescent-headed arrow to cut the enemy’s bow, and finally smashes the chariot into pieces, leaving the opponent effectively disabled on the battlefield.