Shloka 38
Adhyāya 55: Pārtha–Rādheya Saṃvāda and Tactical Exchange
Chapter 55
तस्मिन् विद्धे महेष्वासे कर्णे सर्वास्त्रकोविदे | हताश्वसूते विरथे ततोडनीकमभज्यत
tasmin viddhe maheṣvāse karṇe sarvāstrakovide | hatāśvasūte virathe tato 'nīkam abhajyata ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: Apabila Karṇa, pemanah agung yang mahir segala senjata, telah terkena panah, dan apabila kuda-kudanya serta saisnya dibunuh hingga dia berdiri tanpa kereta, maka barisan perang pun pecah. Melihat wira termasyhur itu dilumpuhkan dan segala sandarannya musnah, seluruh bala tentera hilang tertib, lalu kucar-kacir merebak ke segenap pasukan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a practical ethical insight of warfare and governance: collective order depends heavily on key supports—leaders, logistics, and morale. When a renowned champion is disabled and his immediate supports (horses, charioteer, chariot) are destroyed, fear and confusion can spread rapidly, causing the wider force to collapse.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Karṇa, famed as a great archer and master of all weapons, is struck; his horses and charioteer are killed, leaving him without a chariot. As a result, the battle formation (anīka) breaks and the army falls into a rout.