Shloka 86
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
चतुर्भिनिजघानाश्चान् पत्रिभि: कृतवर्मण: । विव्याध गौतमं चापि षड्भिर्भल्लै: सुतेजनै:,तब महारथी राजा युधिष्ठिरने बड़ी उतावलीके साथ चार बाण मारकर कृतवमकि चारों घोड़ोंका संहार कर डाला तथा छ: तेज धारवाले भल्लोंसे कृपाचार्यको भी घायल कर दिया
caturbhir nijaghānāśvān patribhiḥ kṛtavarmaṇaḥ | vivyādha gautamaṃ cāpi ṣaḍbhir bhallaiḥ sutejanaiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Raja Yudhiṣṭhira menumbangkan keempat-empat kuda Kṛtavarman dengan empat anak panah; dan dengan enam batang anak panah bhalla yang tajam, baginda juga menikam Gautama (Kṛpa) hingga terluka. Adegan ini menegaskan etika yang suram tentang keperluan di medan perang, apabila bahkan raja yang berhemah pun terdorong kepada keganasan yang tegas untuk mengekang lawan yang dahsyat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between personal restraint and kṣatriya-duty: even a dharma-minded king like Yudhiṣṭhira must act swiftly and decisively in war to neutralize threats, illustrating how dharma in battle often operates under harsh necessity rather than ideal gentleness.
In the ongoing battle, Yudhiṣṭhira targets Kṛtavarman’s mobility by killing his four horses with four arrows, then turns to Kṛpa (called Gautama) and wounds him with six sharp bhalla arrows, marking a forceful counterattack against prominent Kaurava warriors.