Shloka 12
द्रोणनिन्दाश्रवणं तथा सात्यकि–पार्षतविवादः
Hearing the reproach of Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Pārṣata dispute
तस्मिंस्तु निहते चक्रे सूतजेन महात्मना
tasmiṁstu nihate cakre sūtajena mahātmanā
サञ्जयは言った。「その輪が、御者の子にして大いなる心を持つ者によって打ち倒されるや、戦の趨勢は一変した――戦においては、ただ一つの決断的な行いが最強の者すら揺るがし、権勢が己の器具にいかに脆く依存しているかを示す徴である。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the contingency of worldly power: even a formidable warrior’s momentum can hinge on a single material support (a wheel). Ethically, it points to how outcomes in war often depend on tactical moments rather than pure merit, urging reflection on dharma amid violence.
Sañjaya reports that a wheel has been struck down/destroyed in battle by a great warrior described as the 'son of a charioteer' (commonly an epithet associated with Karṇa). This signals a critical turn in the combat sequence being narrated.