Shloka 24
निवार्य तांस्तूर्णममित्रघाती नप्ता शिने: पत्रिभिरग्निकल्पै: । दुःशासनस्याभिजघान वाहा- नुद्यम्य बाणासनमाजमीढ
nivārya tāṁs tūṛṇam amitraghātī naptā śineḥ patribhir agnikalpaiḥ | duḥśāsanasya abhijaghāna vāhān udyamya bāṇāsanam ājamīḍha
サンジャヤは言った。彼らをたちまち押しとどめるや、敵を屠る者—シニの孫—は弓を掲げ、火のごとく燃え立つ羽根付きの矢でドゥフシャーサナの馬を射倒した。苛烈な戦の圧迫の中、彼は戦車の機動力を断つことを選んだのである。それは戦術上きわめて決定的な一撃であり、同時に、生存と義務が迅速で苛烈な選択を迫るという、戦の陰鬱な倫理をも示している。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-duty in war: swift, decisive action to neutralize an opponent’s capacity to fight (here, disabling the chariot by killing its horses). It reflects the Mahābhārata’s sober view that battlefield ethics often revolve around necessity, strategy, and the obligation to protect one’s side, even through harsh means.
Sañjaya narrates that Śini’s grandson (typically identified as Sātyaki), after checking the opposing attack, raises his bow and with fire-like feathered arrows strikes down Duḥśāsana’s chariot-horses, effectively crippling Duḥśāsana’s mobility in the fight.