Shloka 19
अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
प्रापयाश्वान् महाबाहो सत्यसेन प्रति प्रभो । यावदेनं शरैस्तीक्ष्णैनयामि यमसादनम्,'प्रभो! महाबाहो! आप घोड़ोंको सत्यसेनके निकट पहुँचाइये। मैं अपने तीखे बाणोंसे पहले इसीको यमलोक भेज दूँगा”
prāpayāśvān mahābāho satyasena prati prabho | yāvad enaṁ śarais tīkṣṇair nayāmi yamasādanam ||
“Wahai tuanku, wahai yang berlengan perkasa! Bawalah kuda-kuda mendekati Satyasena. Sebelum dia sempat berbuat lagi, akan kuhantar dia ke alam Yama dengan anak panahku yang tajam.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects the kṣatriya battlefield ethic of prompt, decisive engagement: when a threat is imminent, hesitation is treated as a moral and strategic failure. ‘Sending to Yama’s abode’ is a conventional dharmic-war idiom for death, emphasizing the gravity of combat and the warrior’s resolve.
In the midst of battle, the speaker urges the charioteer/commander addressed as ‘mahābāhu’ and ‘prabhu’ to drive the horses toward the warrior Satyasena, declaring an intention to strike him down quickly with sharp arrows—before the opponent can act further.