Shloka 776
अश्वांस्तस्थावधीत् तूर्णमुभौ च पार्ष्णिसारथी । तत्पश्चात् सुसंयत भल्लोंके प्रहारसे उसके रथ, जूए और ईषादण्ड (हरसे)-को काटकर शीघ्र ही घोड़ों तथा दोनों पारशश्वरक्षकोंको भी मार डाला
sañjaya uvāca |
aśvān tasthāv adhīt tūrṇam ubhau ca pārṣṇisārathī |
tatpaścāt susaṃyata-bhallaiḥ prahāra-sevayā tasya rathaṃ yugaṃ ca īṣādaṇḍaṃ ca ciccheda, śīghram aśvān ubhau ca pārṣṇisārathīś ca jaghāna |
Sanjaya said: Standing firm, he swiftly struck down the horses and also the two attendants stationed at the rear of the chariot. Thereafter, with well-aimed, razor-edged arrows delivered in rapid succession, he cut apart his opponent’s chariot, its yoke, and the pole; then, without delay, he killed the horses and the two rear charioteers as well. The passage underscores the ruthless efficiency of battlefield skill—where mastery of weapons is turned toward disabling the enemy’s mobility and support, raising the ethical tension between martial duty and the grim cost borne by attendants and animals.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, technical mastery and strategic targeting (disabling the chariot’s structure and support) can decide outcomes, while also exposing the ethical burden of collateral suffering—attendants and animals become vulnerable despite not being principal combatants.
In Sanjaya’s report of the battle, a warrior rapidly kills the horses and the two rear chariot-attendants, then uses well-aimed broad-headed arrows to cut the opponent’s chariot components—chariot, yoke, and pole—thereby immobilizing and dismantling the enemy’s fighting platform.