Shloka 94
स चक्ररक्षानथ पादरक्षान् पुर:सरान् पृष्ठगोपांश्व॒ सर्वान् दुर्योधनेनानुमतानरिध्न: समुद्यतान् स रथान् सारभूतान्
sa cakrarakṣān atha pādarakṣān puraḥsarān pṛṣṭhagopāṁś ca sarvān | duryodhanenānumatān aridhnaḥ samudyatān sa rathān sāra-bhūtān ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai pemerintah manusia, kemudian Arjuna—Savyasācī, wira tiada bandingan dan pemusnah musuh—menumbangkan sekelip mata semua pahlawan utama Kaurava yang menjadi pengawal Karṇa: pengawal roda, pengawal kaki, barisan hadapan dan barisan belakang. Dengan restu dan arahan Duryodhana, sentiasa siap berperang dan menjadi teras bala Kaurava, mereka dihantar kepada maut bersama kereta, kuda dan sais mereka.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership in war: Duryodhana’s command drives elite fighters into lethal conflict, and even the best-protected formations collapse before superior skill. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that martial excellence does not cancel the tragic cost of violence.
During the Karṇa–Arjuna confrontation, Arjuna swiftly destroys the Kaurava contingent assigned as Karṇa’s protective screen—wheel-guards, foot-guards, vanguard, and rear-guard—killing them along with their chariots, horses, and charioteers.