Shloka 45
कृप॑ं विकर्ण शल्यं च विद्ध्वा बहुभिरायसै: । चकार विरथांश्रैव कौन्तेय: श्वेतवाहन:,तदनन्तर श्वेतवाहन कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनने कृपाचार्य, विकर्ण तथा शल्यको भी लोहेके बने हुए बहुत-से बाणोंद्वारा रथहीन कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | kṛpaṃ vikarṇaṃ śalyaṃ ca viddhvā bahubhir āyasaiḥ | cakāra virathān śraiva kaunteyaḥ śvetavāhanaḥ ||
Sanjaya berkata: Setelah memanah Kripa, Vikarna dan Shalya dengan banyak anak panah bermata besi, Arjuna—putera Kunti, yang keretanya ditarik kuda-kuda putih—melucutkan mereka daripada kereta perang, memaksa mereka bertempur dengan berjalan kaki. Adegan ini menegaskan derasnya arus peperangan: keperwiraan bukan semata-mata membunuh, tetapi juga melumpuhkan sarana tempur lawan, mengubah imbangan kuasa sambil tetap berada dalam batas tata-aturan perang yang diterima.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where victory can be achieved by disabling an opponent’s capacity to fight (here, removing the chariot) rather than by immediate killing, reflecting the strategic and rule-governed nature of kṣatriya warfare while still emphasizing the harsh inevitability of combat.
Sanjaya narrates that Arjuna (Kaunteya, Shvetavahana) shoots many iron-tipped arrows at Kripa, Vikarna, and Shalya and renders them chariotless, indicating Arjuna’s dominance in that phase of the battle.