Shloka 11
भीष्म-युधिष्ठिर-संमर्दः
Bhīṣma’s Pressure on Yudhiṣṭhira; Śikhaṇḍī’s Approach; Evening Withdrawal
ततोस्य कार्मुकं द्वाभ्यां सूत॑ द्वाभ्यां च विव्यथे । चतुर्भिरश्चानू जवनाननयद् यमसादनम्
tato 'sya kārmukaṃ dvābhyāṃ sūtaṃ dvābhyāṃ ca vivyathe | caturbhir aśvānū javān ānayat yamasādanam ||
サञ्जयは語った。ついで彼は二本の矢でその弓を断ち、さらに二本で御者を貫いた。四本の矢で俊足の馬をも倒し、ヤマの住処へと送り去った。この場面は戦の冷酷な効率を示す。敵の戦う手段—武器、御者、馬—を奪うことが決定打となる一方で、戦場の殺伐が負う道義の重みはいよいよ増してゆく。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic of decisive action: neutralizing the opponent’s capacity to fight (weapon, driver, and horses) is portrayed as an effective tactic, while also reminding the listener of the grave moral and existential consequence—death—ever-present in war.
In Sañjaya’s report of the combat, a warrior strikes an opponent’s bow with two arrows, wounds the charioteer with two more, and then kills the swift horses with four arrows, thereby crippling the enemy chariot and sending the slain to Yama’s abode.