Shloka 94
स चक्ररक्षानथ पादरक्षान् पुर:सरान् पृष्ठगोपांश्व॒ सर्वान् दुर्योधनेनानुमतानरिध्न: समुद्यतान् स रथान् सारभूतान्
sa cakrarakṣān atha pādarakṣān puraḥsarān pṛṣṭhagopāṁś ca sarvān | duryodhanenānumatān aridhnaḥ samudyatān sa rathān sāra-bhūtān ||
Disse Sañjaya: Ó senhor dos homens, então Arjuna—Savyasācī, herói sem par e destruidor de inimigos—abateu num instante todos aqueles guerreiros kouravas mais destacados que serviam de guardas de Karṇa: guardas das rodas, guardas a pé, vanguarda e retaguarda. Aprovados e dirigidos por Duryodhana, sempre prontos para a batalha e formando o cerne do exército kourava, foram enviados à morte juntamente com seus carros, cavalos e cocheiros.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership in war: Duryodhana’s command drives elite fighters into lethal conflict, and even the best-protected formations collapse before superior skill. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that martial excellence does not cancel the tragic cost of violence.
During the Karṇa–Arjuna confrontation, Arjuna swiftly destroys the Kaurava contingent assigned as Karṇa’s protective screen—wheel-guards, foot-guards, vanguard, and rear-guard—killing them along with their chariots, horses, and charioteers.