Shloka 37
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
ततः प्राग्ज्योतिषो राजा प्रहसन्निव भारत । तस्याश्चांश्व॒तुरः संख्ये पातयामास सायकै:,भारत! तब राजा प्राग्ज्योतिष (भगदत्त)-ने हँसते हुए-से उस युद्धमें अपने सायकोंद्वारा घटोत्कचके चारों घोड़ोंको मार गिराया
tataḥ prāgjyotiṣo rājā prahasann iva bhārata | tasyāś cāśvān caturaḥ saṅkhye pātayāmāsa sāyakaiḥ ||
اے بھارت! پھر پرَاجْیوتِش کا بادشاہ (بھگدَتّ) گویا ہنستا ہوا، میدانِ جنگ میں اپنے تیروں سے گھٹو تکچ کے چاروں گھوڑے گرا ڈالا۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where martial skill is applied strategically: disabling an enemy’s chariot by felling its horses can decide the encounter. It also hints at the moral tension of war—prowess and mockery coexist with lethal action, reminding the listener that victory often comes through calculated, not merely face-to-face, confrontation.
Sañjaya reports that Bhagadatta, the king of Prāgjyotiṣa, appears to laugh as he shoots arrows in battle and brings down the four horses of his opponent’s chariot, thereby crippling the chariot’s movement and shifting the advantage in the fight.