Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 27
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
तथापरेणास्य जहार यन्तुः कायाच्छिर: संहननीयमध्यात् । जघान चाश्चां श्वतुरः सुशीघ्र॑ तथा भृशं कुपितो भीमसेन:
tathāpareṇāsya jahāra yantuḥ kāyāc chiraḥ saṃhananīyamadhyāt | jaghāna cāśvāṃ śvaturaḥ suśīghraṃ tathā bhṛśaṃ kupito bhīmasenaḥ ||
Disse Sañjaya: Então, com outro golpe, o cocheiro decepou-lhe a cabeça do corpo ao nível do pescoço. E Bhīmasena, tomado de furor, abateu também, com rapidez, os quatro cavalos. A cena ressalta o ímpeto implacável da guerra: a ira conduz a uma violência rápida e decisiva, na qual até os elementos de apoio — cocheiro e montarias — são eliminados para incapacitar por completo o inimigo.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) accelerates destructive action in war, and how combat often targets not only the main warrior but also the chariot-system—driver and horses—to render the opponent helpless. Ethically, it reflects the grim reality of battlefield duty where tactical disabling can override compassion.
Sañjaya reports that a charioteer severs a man’s head at the neck with another blow, and then Bhīmasena—furiously enraged—swiftly kills the four horses, effectively crippling the enemy’s chariot and mobility.