Shloka 41
अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel
ततोअस्य निशितैर्बाणैस्त्रिभिविंव्याध सारथिम् । राजन! दुर्मुखने बारह बाणोंसे सात्यकिको क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया। भारत! इसके बाद दुर्योधनने तिहत्तर बाणोंसे युयुधानको घायल करके तीन पैने बाणोंद्वारा उनके सारथिको भी बींध डाला || ४० ई || तान् सर्वान् सहितान् शूरान् यतमानान् महारथान्
tato 'sya niśitair bāṇais tribhir vivyādha sārathim |
サンジャヤは言った。「それから彼は鋭い三本の矢で、その勇士の御者を射抜いた。戦場の苛烈な掟においては、戦車の進退を支える御者のような補佐役でさえ戦略上の標的となる。両軍が互いの戦う力を断とうとするからである。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh logic of kṣatriya warfare: victory often depends on disabling an opponent’s means of fighting, and the charioteer—though not the principal hero—can be targeted as part of battlefield strategy. It invites reflection on how dharma in war can prioritize duty and outcome over ordinary moral intuitions.
Sañjaya reports that, after earlier exchanges, a fighter shoots three sharp arrows and pierces the opponent’s charioteer, aiming to impair the enemy chariot’s mobility and effectiveness in combat.