Shloka 693
दुर्योधन-कर्ण-संवादः
Duryodhana–Karna Dialogue on Vyūha-bheda and Daiva
ध्वजं सप्तभिरुन्मथ्य यन्तारमवधीत् त्रिभि: । तब आचार्यने उनकी दोनों भुजाओं और छातीमें कुल तीन बाण मारे। फिर सात सायकोंद्वारा उनकी ध्वजाके टुकड़े-टुकड़े करके तीन बाणोंसे सारथिका वध कर दिया
dhvajaṃ saptabhir unmathya yantāram avadhīt tribhiḥ | tata ācāryaḥ tasya bāhū ca vakṣaś ca tribhir bāṇaiḥ samarpayat | punaḥ saptabhiḥ sāyakair dhvajaṃ ciccheda tribhir bāṇaiś ca sārathiṃ jaghāna ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Ācārya itu menghancurkan panji musuh dengan tujuh anak panah, dan dengan tiga lagi membunuh sais kereta. Kemudian dia memanah kedua-dua lengan dan dada pahlawan itu dengan tiga batang anak panah. Sekali lagi, dengan tujuh peluru tajam dia mengerat panji itu hingga berkecai, dan dengan tiga anak panah dia membunuh pemandu kereta.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the grim ethic of battlefield strategy: disabling symbols of morale (the banner) and the means of mobility (the charioteer) can decide combat swiftly. It also implicitly raises the tension between tactical necessity in war and the human cost of such calculated violence.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa (the Ācārya) attacks an opponent’s chariot: he breaks the banner with seven arrows, kills the charioteer with three, and strikes the warrior’s arms and chest—repeating the banner’s destruction and the charioteer’s killing as part of a decisive assault.