Shloka 18
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya-saṃvādaḥ; madhyāhna-saṅgrāma-pravṛttiḥ
Dhritarashtra–Sanjaya dialogue and the midday battle escalation
तस्य द्रोणो&वधीदश्वान् शरै: संनतपर्वभि: । अष्टाभिर्भरतश्रेष्ठ सूतमेकेन पत्रिणा,भरतश्रेष्ठ! फिर द्रोणने झुकी हुई गाँठवाले आठ बाणोंद्वारा विराटके घोड़ोंकोी और एक बाणसे सारथिको मार डाला
tasya droṇo ’vadhīd aśvān śaraiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ | aṣṭābhir bharataśreṣṭha sūtam ekena patriṇā ||
Sañjaya disse: Então Droṇa matou seus cavalos com oito flechas de juntas recurvadas, e com um único dardo emplumado abateu o cocheiro—ó melhor dos Bharatas. O relato ressalta a precisão implacável do campo de batalha, onde até agentes não régios da guerra (cavalos e condutor) se tornam alvos para incapacitar a capacidade de luta de um guerreiro.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethics of war as portrayed in the epic: victory often depends on disabling an opponent’s means of fighting (chariot, horses, driver), not only dueling the principal warrior. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between martial effectiveness and moral cost.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa, with expert archery, kills the horses using eight arrows and then kills the charioteer with a single feathered arrow, effectively immobilizing the chariot and neutralizing its fighter’s mobility.