Shloka 54
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणाभिमुख्यं तथा सात्यकि-कर्ण-समागमः
Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s advance toward Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Karṇa confrontation
प्रायोपविष्टाय रणे पार्थेन छिन्नबाहवे । सात्यकि: कौरवेयाय खड्गेनापाहरच्छिर:,रणभूमिमें अर्जुनने जिनकी भुजा काट डाली थी तथा जो आमरण उपवासका व्रत लेकर बैठे थे, उन भूरिश्रवापर सात्यकिने खड़्गका प्रहार किया और उनका सिर काट लिया
sañjaya uvāca | prāyopaviṣṭāya raṇe pārthena chinnabāhave | sātyakiḥ kauraveyāya khaḍgenāpāharacchiraḥ |
Sañjaya said: When Bhūriśravas—his arm severed in battle by Pārtha (Arjuna)—sat down on the battlefield undertaking the vow of fasting unto death, Sātyaki struck him with a sword and cut off his head. The moment is ethically charged: it depicts the collapse of restraint amid war, where a warrior engaged in a death-vow is slain, raising questions about dharma, vengeance, and the limits of righteous conduct in combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharma becomes difficult to uphold amid rage and retaliation in war. Even when an opponent has withdrawn into a death-vow (prāyopaveśa), violence may still be inflicted, prompting reflection on the boundaries of righteous combat and the moral cost of vengeance.
After Arjuna severs Bhūriśravas’s arm, Bhūriśravas sits on the battlefield undertaking a fast unto death. At that moment Sātyaki attacks him with a sword and cuts off his head.