Shloka 32
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
ततो दुर्योधनस्याश्वान् हत्वा सूतं च पठचभि:
tato duryodhanasyāśvān hatvā sūtaṃ ca paṭacabhīḥ
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം അവൻ ദുര്യോധനന്റെ കുതിരകളെ വധിച്ചു, സാരഥിയെയും കൊന്നു, ശേഷിച്ച അനുചരന്മാരെയും വീഴ്ത്തി।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic and tactic: rather than only dueling the principal warrior, combatants often disable the chariot by killing its horses and charioteer. This underscores how war pressures dharma—victory is pursued through strategic dismantling of an opponent’s means of fighting, not merely through direct confrontation.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana’s chariot is being neutralized: his horses are killed, his charioteer is slain, and the accompanying attendants are struck down, leaving Duryodhana’s mobility and immediate support compromised in the ongoing battle.