Shloka 9
Adhyāya 110: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament on Fate; Saṃjaya’s Reproof and the Princes’ Assault on Bhīma (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय ११०)
यौधिष्ठिरिर्ध्वजं तस्य छित्त्वा भूमावपातयत् । नाकुलिश्लाथ यन्तारं रथनीडादपाहरत्,तदनन्तर युधिष्छिरकुमार प्रतिविन्ध्यने शलकी ध्वजा काटकर पृथ्वीपर गिरा दी। फिर नकुलपुत्र शतानीकने उनके सारथिको मारकर रथकी बैठकसे नीचे गिरा दिया
sañjaya uvāca | yaudhiṣṭhirir dhvajaṃ tasya chittvā bhūmāv apātayat | nākuliḥ ślātha-yantāraṃ ratha-nīḍād apāharat |
サンジャヤは言った。ユディシュティラの子は敵の旗印を断ち落として地に伏せしめ、ついでナクーラの子が御者を討ち、車座から引きずり落とした。戦の陰惨な掟において、旗の倒れることは武人の辱めと士気の動揺を告げ、御者を殺すことは敵の継戦能力を断つための手段となる――それはクルクシェートラの戦が容赦なく加速してゆくさまを映す。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, symbolic acts (cutting a banner) and tactical acts (removing a charioteer) both shape outcomes. Ethically, it reflects the tension between kṣatriya duty to fight effectively and the war’s tendency to erode restraint, as victory becomes tied to disabling the enemy by any means.
Sañjaya reports two swift battlefield actions: Prativindhya (Yudhiṣṭhira’s son) cuts down an opponent’s standard, and Śatānīka (Nakula’s son) kills or disables the charioteer and pulls him from the chariot-seat, thereby crippling the enemy’s mobility and combat effectiveness.