Shloka 37
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
पातयित्वा हयानू् सर्वास्त्रिगर्तानां रथान् ययौ । पार्थने अपने बहुसंख्यक बाणोंद्वारा घुड़सवारोंकी उस सेनाको छिजन्न-भिन्न कर डाला तथा समस्त घोड़ोंको धराशायी करके त्रिगर्तदेशीय रथियोंपर चढ़ाई कर दी ।। ततस्ते सहिता भूत्वा त्रिगर्तानां महारथा:
pātayitvā hayān sarvās trigartānāṁ rathān yayau | pārthena bahusaṅkhyakair bāṇair aśvārūḍhānāṁ senā chinnabhinna-kṛtā, sarvāṁś ca hayān dharāśāyīn kṛtvā trigartadeśīyeṣu rathikeṣu abhyadravat || tataḥ te sahitā bhūtvā trigartānāṁ mahārathāḥ ... ||
Sañjaya said: Having brought down the horses, he advanced against all the Trigarta chariots. By a great multitude of arrows, Pārtha shattered the force of the mounted horsemen; and after felling all their horses to the ground, he charged upon the Trigarta chariot-warriors. Then those great chariot-fighters of the Trigartas, gathering together in a body, (prepared to respond).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its battlefield form: disciplined force directed toward a clear tactical aim. Arjuna’s action—disabling mobility by felling horses and then pressing the chariot-warriors—shows strategic restraint within violence: victory is pursued through skill and method rather than indiscriminate slaughter.
Sañjaya narrates Arjuna’s assault on the Trigarta contingent. Arjuna brings down horses, breaks the mounted troops with many arrows, and then advances upon the Trigarta chariot-fighters. In response, the Trigarta mahārathas regroup together to counter him.