Mahabharata 6.91.12 — Bhishma Parva, Adhyaya 91, Shloka 12
Bhagadattā’s Deployment Against Ghaṭotkaca; Elephant-Corps Escalation
भीमस्तु सारथिं हत्वा भीष्मस्य रथिनां वर: । प्रद्रुताश्वे रथे तस्मिन् द्रवमाणे समनन््तत:ः
bhīmas tu sārathiṃ hatvā bhīṣmasya rathināṃ varaḥ | pradrutāśve rathe tasmin dravamāṇe samanantataḥ ||
അപ്പോൾ തന്നെ രഥയോദ്ധാക്കളിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠനായ ഭീമസേനൻ ഭീഷ്മന്റെ സാരഥിയെ വധിച്ചു. സാരഥി വീണതോടെ കുതിരകൾ നിയന്ത്രണം വിട്ടു; ആ രഥം യുദ്ധഭൂമിയിൽ എല്ലാദിക്കുകളിലേക്കും പാഞ്ഞോടി.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare often turns on supports and systems (like the charioteer) rather than only on the famed warrior. It invites reflection on kshatriya-dharma and battlefield ethics: whether disabling an enemy’s capacity to fight—by removing the driver—counts as necessary strategy or a morally fraught act, and how quickly order can collapse into chaos when control is lost.
Sanjaya reports that Bhima kills Bhishma’s charioteer. As a result, Bhishma’s chariot, with horses no longer guided, rushes about the battlefield in all directions, indicating a momentary loss of command and tactical disruption around Bhishma.
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