Mahabharata 7.109.23 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 109, Shloka 23
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 109 — Karṇa–Bhīma Yuddha and Durmukha’s Fall (कर्णभीमयुद्धम्; दुर्मुखवधः)
अथापरेण भल्लेन पीतेन निशितेन ह । चिच्छेद सारथे: कायाच्छिरो ज्वलितकुण्डलम्
athāpareṇa bhallena pītena niśitena ha | ciccheda sāratheḥ kāyāc chiro jvalitakuṇḍalam ||
پھر اُس نے زرد رنگ کے نہایت تیز ایک اور بھلّہ تیر سے رتھ بان کے جسم سے چمکتے ہوئے کُنڈلوں سے آراستہ سر کاٹ کر جدا کر دیا۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can collapse ordinary moral boundaries: technical prowess and victory-driven intent may extend lethal force even to supporting figures like charioteers, prompting reflection on restraint (maryādā) and the ethical cost of unchecked martial ambition.
In Sañjaya’s battlefield report, a warrior shoots another sharp bhalla arrow and cleanly severs the charioteer’s head—described as gleaming with earrings—from his body, emphasizing the ferocity and precision of the ongoing combat.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.