Shloka 4
Kṛtavarmā–Sātyaki Chariot Duel and Kaurava Morale Shock (कृतवर्म-सात्यकि-द्वैरथम्)
तमास्थितो राजवरो बभूव यथोदयस्थ: सविता क्षपान्ते | स तेन नागप्रवरेण राज- न्नभ्युद्ययौ पाण्डुसुतान् समेतान्
tam āsthito rājavaro babhūva yathodayasthaḥ savitā kṣapānte | sa tena nāgapravareṇa rājan abhyudyayau pāṇḍusutān sametān |
サンジャヤは言った。「そこに陣した最上の王は、夜の尽きるころ昇る太陽のように輝いていた。ついで大王よ、その優れた象に乗り、集いしパーンドゥの子らに対して進み出た—王の務めへの確信と、戦が求める冷厳な決意をもって、戦陣へと押し入ったのである。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness: a ruler, once committed to the battlefield, must act with resolve and presence. The sun-at-dawn simile frames martial advance not as mere aggression but as a solemn, duty-bound emergence into a decisive moment.
Sañjaya describes a foremost king taking position mounted on a great elephant and moving forward to confront the assembled Pāṇḍavas. The scene is painted with luminous imagery—like the sun rising after night—signaling the start of a forceful engagement.