Shloka 39
अथ शल्यो गदापाणिरवतीर्य महारथात् | शड्ुखस्य चतुरो वाहानहनद् भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ! उस समय राजा शल्यने हाथमें गदा लिये अपने विशाल रथसे उतरकर शंखके चारों घोड़ोंको मार डाला
atha śalyo gadāpāṇir avatīrya mahārathāt | śaṅkhasya caturo vāhān ahanad bharatarṣabha ||
तेव्हा गदा हातात घेऊन राजा शल्य आपल्या महान रथातून उतरला आणि शंखाचे चारही घोडे ठार मारले।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a harsh dimension of kṣatriya warfare: victory is pursued through tactical disabling of the enemy, even by targeting the chariot’s horses. It invites reflection on how dharma in war can become entangled with expediency, and how battlefield choices escalate suffering beyond the duel between warriors.
Sañjaya reports that Śalya gets down from his chariot with a mace and kills the four horses of the warrior Śaṅkha’s chariot, effectively immobilizing him and shifting the fight’s balance.