Shloka 52
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
चन्द्रसेनं च सप्तत्या सूतं च नवभि: शरै:
candrasenaṃ ca saptatyā sūtaṃ ca navabhiḥ śaraiḥ
Sañjaya said: He struck Candrasena with seventy arrows, and the charioteer with nine arrows—an image of relentless battlefield precision, where the violence extends beyond the chief warrior to the supporting agents who keep the war-machine moving.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the uncompromising intensity of war: skill and resolve are shown through precise, overwhelming strikes, and even non-royal battlefield roles (like the charioteer) become targets—highlighting how conflict erodes ordinary ethical boundaries while still operating within the harsh logic of martial duty.
Sañjaya reports a combat moment in which a warrior (implied from context) showers Candrasena with seventy arrows and also wounds the charioteer with nine arrows, indicating a tactical attempt to disable both the fighter and the chariot’s operation.