Shloka 5236
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
न चेदस्त्राणि निर्णेशु: स कथं निहतः परे: । यदि उसका रथ नहीं टूट गया था, धनुषके टुकड़े-टुकड़े नहीं हो गये थे और अस्त्र नहीं नष्ट हुए थे, तब शत्रुओंने उसे किस प्रकार मार दिया?
na ced astrāṇi nirṇeśuḥ sa kathaṃ nihataḥ paraiḥ |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Jika senjatanya tidak dibuat tidak berguna, bagaimana mungkin dia dapat dibunuh oleh musuh? Jika keretanya tidak pecah, busurnya tidak hancur berkeping-keping, dan peluru-pelurunya tidak dimusnahkan, dengan cara apakah pihak lawan berjaya membunuhnya?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral-narrative puzzle: a great warrior is not defeated merely by strength, but through the collapse of supports—weaponry, chariot, and tactical advantage—suggesting the interplay of fate, circumstance, and the ethical tensions of war.
Vaiśampāyana raises a pointed question about the manner of a warrior’s death: if his arms and equipment had not failed, the enemies could not have killed him—implying that some decisive disabling event (loss of weapons/chariot/bow) preceded his fall.