Shloka 476
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
इषुधी चास्य चिच्छेद रथं च तिलशो5च्छिनत् । कर्णके शरीरसे रक्त बहने लगा। फिर तो क्रोधमें भरे हुए सर्पके समान फुफकारते हुए कर्णने एक भल्लसे युधिष्ठिरकी ध्वजा काट डाली और तीन बाणोंसे उन पाण्डुपुत्रको भी घायल कर दिया। उनके दोनों तरकस काट दिये और रथके भी तिल-तिल करके टुकड़े- टुकड़े कर डाले
iṣudhī cāsya ciccheda rathaṃ ca tilaśo'cchinat |
Sañjaya said: He cut down his quivers and shattered his chariot into fragments, as though reducing it grain by grain. In the same surge of wrath—hissing like an enraged serpent—Karna severed Yudhiṣṭhira’s banner with a broad-headed arrow and, with three more shafts, wounded that son of Pāṇḍu. Thus, in the brutal economy of war, the warrior’s strength is shown not only by striking the body but by dismantling the very supports of battle—standard, quivers, and chariot—stripping an opponent of protection and morale.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights a recurring Mahābhārata insight: in war, power is expressed not only by wounding an enemy but by breaking the instruments that sustain him—banner, quivers, and chariot—thereby attacking confidence and capacity. It also warns how anger (krodha) can intensify violence and escalate the conflict’s moral cost.
Sañjaya describes Karna’s assault on Yudhiṣṭhira: Karna cuts down Yudhiṣṭhira’s quivers, shatters his chariot piece by piece, severs his banner with a broad-headed arrow, and then wounds him with additional arrows—an aggressive sequence meant to disable and demoralize.