Shloka 10
माननीय भरतभूषण! उलूकने तेलसे साफ किये हुए भल्लके द्वारा युयुत्सुके सारथिका मस्तक काट डाला ।। तच्छिन्नमपतद् भूमौ युयुत्सो: सारथेस्तदा । तारारूप॑ यथा चित्र निपपात महीतले,उस समय युयुत्सुके सारथिका वह कटा हुआ मस्तक पृथ्वीपर उसी भाँति गिरा, मानो आकाशसे भूतलपर कोई विचित्र तारा टूट पड़ा हो
sañjaya uvāca | tacchinnam apatat bhūmau yuyutsoḥ sārathes tadā | tārārūpaṃ yathā citraṃ nipapāta mahītale ||
Sañjaya said: Then the severed head of Yuyutsu’s charioteer fell to the ground. It dropped upon the earth like a strange star, torn from the sky, flashing down to the world below—an image that underscores how swiftly and pitilessly war cuts down even those who merely serve at the margins of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the indiscriminate cost of war: not only famed warriors but also attendants like charioteers are abruptly destroyed. The star-fall simile intensifies the sense of suddenness and fragility, inviting reflection on the ethical weight of battle and the human lives consumed by it.
Sañjaya reports that Yuyutsu’s charioteer has been beheaded, and the severed head falls to the earth. The fall is compared to a strange star dropping from the sky, emphasizing the dramatic and violent moment on the battlefield.