Shloka 18
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
शोणाश्ववाहस्य हयान् निहत्य वैकर्तनभ्रातुरदीनसत्त्व: । एकेन संग्रामजित: शरेण शिरो जहाराथ किरीटमाली
vaiśampāyana uvāca | śoṇāśvavāhasya hayān nihatya vaikartanabhrātur adīnasattvaḥ | ekena saṅgrāmajitaḥ śareṇa śiro jahārātha kirīṭamālī ||
शोणाश्ववाहस्य हयान् निहत्य वैकर्तनभ्रातुरदीनसत्त्वः । एकेन संग्रामजितः शरेण शिरो जहाराथ किरीटमाली ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ideal of steadfastness (adīna-sattva) and decisive action in battle. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: valor and duty are praised, yet the narrative implicitly reminds the reader that triumph in war is inseparable from death and moral burden.
A diademed, garlanded warrior confronts Saṅgrāmajit (identified as Karṇa’s brother). He first kills Saṅgrāmajit’s horses—disabling the chariot—and then, with a single arrow, beheads Saṅgrāmajit.