Shloka 38
अर्जुनस्य द्रोणिप्रतिघातः कर्णोपसर्पणं च
Arjuna Checks Droṇaputra; Karṇa Advances
सतु बाणैर्दिशो राजन्नाच्छाद्य परवीरहा । आजमछेने सारथिं चास्य सुषेणं च ततस्त्रिभि:
sa tu bāṇair diśo rājann ācchādya paravīrahā | ājamacchene sārathiṁ cāsya suṣeṇaṁ ca tatas tribhiḥ ||
سنجے نے کہا—اے راجن! وہ دشمن کے سورماؤں کا قاتل اپنے تیروں سے چاروں سمتیں ڈھانپ دیتا ہے؛ پھر تین تیروں سے اس کے سارتھی (رتھ بان) کو اور سُشین کو بھی ضرب لگا کر گرا دیتا ہے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim impartiality of war: not only famed warriors but also crucial supporters like charioteers are struck down. It invites reflection on the ethical burden of battle—how tactical necessity and martial prowess can erase ordinary protections and accelerate a combatant’s downfall.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a warrior (described as a slayer of enemy-heroes) floods the battlefield with arrows, ‘covering the directions,’ and then with three arrows kills the opponent’s charioteer named Suṣeṇa.