Shloka 86
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
चतुर्भिनिजघानाश्चान् पत्रिभि: कृतवर्मण: । विव्याध गौतमं चापि षड्भिर्भल्लै: सुतेजनै:
caturbhir nijaghānāśvān patribhiḥ kṛtavarmaṇaḥ | vivyādha gautamaṃ cāpi ṣaḍbhir bhallaiḥ sutejanaiḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: O rei Yudhiṣṭhira derrubou os quatro cavalos de Kṛtavarman com quatro flechas; e com seis dardos bhalla, agudos e cortantes, também traspassou Gautama (Kṛpa), ferindo-o. A cena ressalta a ética sombria da necessidade no campo de batalha, onde até um rei ponderado é levado a uma violência decisiva para conter adversários formidáveis.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between personal restraint and kṣatriya-duty: even a dharma-minded king like Yudhiṣṭhira must act swiftly and decisively in war to neutralize threats, illustrating how dharma in battle often operates under harsh necessity rather than ideal gentleness.
In the ongoing battle, Yudhiṣṭhira targets Kṛtavarman’s mobility by killing his four horses with four arrows, then turns to Kṛpa (called Gautama) and wounds him with six sharp bhalla arrows, marking a forceful counterattack against prominent Kaurava warriors.