Mahabharata 7.142.16 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 142, Shloka 16

सहदेव-राधेय-संग्रामः; शल्य-प्रभावः; अलम्बुस-निवर्तनम्

Sahadeva and Karṇa; Śalya’s pressure; Alambusa’s interception

Devanagari script

तै: कायमस्याग्न्यनिलप्र भावै- विंदार्य बाणैर्निश्तिज्वलद्धि: | आजसघ्निवांस्तान्‌ रजतप्रकाशा- नश्नांक्षतुर्भिश्चतुर: प्रसहा

Transliteration

taiḥ kāyam asyāgny-anila-prabhāvair vidārya bāṇair niśitair jvaladbhīḥ | ājaghānivāṁs tān rajata-prakāśān aśvān kṣaturbhiś caturaḥ prasahya ||

Translation

Sañjaya disse: Com flechas ardentes e cortantes, cuja força era como a do fogo e do vento, Alambuṣa rasgou o corpo de Sātyaki; e então, com mais quatro dardos, atingiu violentamente e feriu os quatro cavalos de Sātyaki, brilhantes como prata.

Word by Word

• {'taiḥ': 'with those (arrows)', 'kāyam': 'body', 'asya': 'of him (Sātyaki)', 'agni': 'fire', 'anila': 'wind', 'prabhāvaiḥ': 'with power/effect, by force', 'vidārya': 'having torn asunder, piercing deeply', 'bāṇaiḥ': 'with arrows', 'niśitaiḥ': 'sharp, whetted', 'jvaladbhīḥ': 'blazing, flaming', 'ājaghāna': 'he struck, he smote', 'rajata-prakāśān': 'shining like silver', 'aśvān': 'horses', 'caturaḥ': 'four', 'caturbhiḥ': 'with four (arrows)', 'prasahya': 'forcibly, violently'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• सात्यकि (Sātyaki)
• अलम्बुष (Alambuṣa)
• बाण (arrows)
• अश्व (horses)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh ethical reality of battlefield dharma: warriors employ decisive, even brutal tactics (such as disabling an opponent’s horses) to gain advantage. It invites reflection on how duty-driven violence can eclipse compassion, even when framed within kṣatriya norms.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Alambuṣa shoots blazing, sharp arrows that pierce Sātyaki’s body and then, with four additional arrows, wounds Sātyaki’s four silver-bright horses, aiming to weaken his chariot-borne mobility.