Shloka 48
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
अथास्य वाहांस्त्वरित: शरैरनिन्ये यमक्षयम् । ततो<वप्लुत्य सहसा शकुनिर्भरतर्षभ
athāsya vāhāṁs tvaritaḥ śarair aninye yamakṣayam | tato 'vaplutyā sahasā śakunir bharatarṣabha ||
サञ्जयは言った。「ついで彼は、迅速な矢でたちまち敵の馬をヤマの不滅の住処（すなわち死）へと送った。するとシャクニは即座に跳び降り、バーラタ族の雄牛よ、戦の圧迫の中で己が身を救うべく動いた—戦の無慈悲な勢いを示す光景であり、技と生存がしばしば高邁なためらいを凌駕することを物語る。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal immediacy of battlefield karma: life can turn on a moment—horses are slain, a warrior abandons the chariot to survive. It highlights how, in war, tactical necessity often eclipses moral refinement, reminding the listener of the ethical cost and dehumanizing speed of violence.
An unnamed warrior (contextually, the opponent of Śakuni) shoots rapidly and kills the horses of Śakuni’s chariot, effectively disabling it. Śakuni then leaps down suddenly to avoid being trapped or killed, continuing the action on foot or seeking another means of escape/engagement.