Shloka 113
अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
नवमभिर्मित्रवर्माणं सुशर्माणं तथाष्टभि: । श्रुतंजयको बीस, चन्द्रदेवको आठ, मित्रदेवको सौ, श्रुतसेन (चित्रसेन)-को तीन, मित्रवर्माको नौ तथा सुशर्माको आठ बाणोंसे घायल कर दिया
nava-bhir mitra-varmāṇaṁ suśarmāṇaṁ tathā aṣṭa-bhiḥ |
Sañjaya said: With nine arrows he struck Mitravarmā, and likewise with eight he struck Suśarmā—describing the swift, measured violence of the battlefield where prowess is displayed through precise, counted blows rather than restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya battlefield ethos: martial skill is expressed through disciplined, deliberate action (counted volleys), while the ethical tension of dharma in war remains implicit—victory is pursued through prowess, yet the human cost is unmistakable.
Sañjaya reports a combat moment in which a warrior (implied by context) wounds Mitravarmā with nine arrows and Suśarmā with eight, marking a rapid sequence of targeted strikes amid the larger battle of Karṇa Parva.