Shloka 45
तथेतरे महेष्वासा: सौभद्रं युध्यपातयन् । अल्पे च कारणे कृष्ण हतो गाण्डीवधन्चना
tathetare maheṣvāsāḥ saubhadraṁ yuddhyapātayan | alpe ca kāraṇe kṛṣṇa hato gāṇḍīvadhanvanā ||
サンジャヤは言った。「同じく他の大弓の勇士たちも、戦場でサウバドラ（アビマンニュ）を寄ってたかって圧し伏せ、ついに倒した。しかも、ああクリシュナよ、取るに足らぬ口実のために、ガーンディーヴァの担い手（アルジュナ）は殺されたのだ。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral collapse in war can hinge on “small reasons”: when fighters accept flimsy pretexts, violence escalates beyond dharma. It invites reflection on proportionality, just cause, and the ethical danger of rationalizing harm.
Sañjaya reports that many mighty archers together overwhelmed Saubhadra (Abhimanyu) and brought him down in battle. He then addresses Kṛṣṇa, noting that the bearer of the Gāṇḍīva (Arjuna) was slain on a slight pretext—framing the event as ethically troubling and tragic.