Balarāma Humbles the Kurus and Rescues Sāmba
तं तु ते विरथं चक्रुश्चत्वारश्चतुरो हयान् । एकस्तु सारथिं जघ्ने चिच्छेदान्य: शरासनम् ॥ ११ ॥
taṁ tu te virathaṁ cakruś catvāraś caturo hayān ekas tu sārathiṁ jaghne cicchedaṇyaḥ śarāsanam
しかし彼らは彼を戦車から引きずり下ろし、車を失わせた。すると四人が四頭の馬を倒し、一人が御者を討ち、別の一人が彼の弓を折った。
Śālva is strategically disabled in battle—his horses are killed, his charioteer is slain, and his bow is cut, leaving him chariotless and weakened.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates these events to Mahārāja Parīkṣit as part of the account of Śālva’s attack on Dvārakā.
Even formidable threats can be neutralized step-by-step; the verse highlights focused action, discipline, and reliance on divine order rather than panic.