Shloka 78
अलंबलवधः (Alaṃbala-vadhaḥ) / The Slaying of Alaṃbala and the Advance toward Karṇa
धृतराष्ट्र रवाच अजय्यं वासुदेवस्य रथमास्थाय सात्यकि: । विरथं कृतवान् कर्ण वासुदेवसमो युधि,धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--संजय! सात्यकि युद्धमें भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके समान हैं। उन्होंने श्रीकृष्णके ही अजेय रथपर आरूढ़ होकर कर्णको रथहीन कर दिया। उस समय उनके साथ दारुक-जैसा सारथि था और उन्हें अपने बाहुबलका अभिमान तो था ही; परंतु शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले सात्यकि क्या किसी दूसरे रथपर भी आरूढ़ हुए थे?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—ajayyaṁ vāsudevasya ratham āsthāya sātyakiḥ | virathaṁ kṛtavān karṇaṁ vāsudeva-samo yudhi ||
ధృతరాష్ట్రుడు అన్నాడు—సంజయా! యుద్ధంలో వాసుదేవునితో సమానుడైన సాత్యకి, వాసుదేవుని అజేయ రథాన్ని అధిరోహించి కర్ణుణ్ణి రథహీనుడిని చేశాడు.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how proximity to righteous and divinely guided leadership (symbolized by mounting Vāsudeva’s ‘unconquerable’ chariot) amplifies a warrior’s effectiveness, while also underscoring the Kṣatriya ideal of valor tempered by accountability—Dhṛtarāṣṭra seeks precise truth from Sañjaya rather than relying on rumor or prideful assumptions.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra hears that Sātyaki, fighting with prowess comparable to Kṛṣṇa, rode upon Kṛṣṇa’s famed chariot and in that encounter deprived Karṇa of his chariot. He asks Sañjaya for clarification about whether Sātyaki also fought from any other chariot (i.e., whether this feat depended specifically on that chariot or occurred more broadly).