Shloka 19
अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
प्रापयाश्वान् महाबाहो सत्यसेन प्रति प्रभो । यावदेनं शरैस्तीक्ष्णैनयामि यमसादनम्,'प्रभो! महाबाहो! आप घोड़ोंको सत्यसेनके निकट पहुँचाइये। मैं अपने तीखे बाणोंसे पहले इसीको यमलोक भेज दूँगा”
prāpayāśvān mahābāho satyasena prati prabho | yāvad enaṁ śarais tīkṣṇair nayāmi yamasādanam ||
“Panginoon, ikaw na makapangyarihang may malalakas na bisig! Ilapit mo ang mga kabayo kay Satyasena. Bago pa siya makapaminsala muli, ipapadala ko siya sa tahanan ni Yama sa pamamagitan ng aking matutulis na palaso.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects the kṣatriya battlefield ethic of prompt, decisive engagement: when a threat is imminent, hesitation is treated as a moral and strategic failure. ‘Sending to Yama’s abode’ is a conventional dharmic-war idiom for death, emphasizing the gravity of combat and the warrior’s resolve.
In the midst of battle, the speaker urges the charioteer/commander addressed as ‘mahābāhu’ and ‘prabhu’ to drive the horses toward the warrior Satyasena, declaring an intention to strike him down quickly with sharp arrows—before the opponent can act further.