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Shloka 28

Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ

Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements

हताश्व॑ं च समालक्ष्य हतसूतमरिंदम

hatāśvaṃ ca samālakṣya hatasūtam ariṃdama

سنجے نے کہا: رتھ کے گھوڑے ہلاک اور سارَتھی بھی مارا گیا—یہ دیکھ کر، اے دشمنوں کو دبانے والے، اُس نے جنگ کی نہایت کٹھن صورتِ حال کو پہچان لیا؛ کہ رَن میں آزمائش صرف قوت کی نہیں، بلکہ سہارے اور نظم کے بکھر جانے کی بھی ہوتی ہے۔

हताश्वम्having (his) horses slain
हताश्वम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootहत + अश्व
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
समालक्ष्यhaving observed/seeing
समालक्ष्य:
TypeVerb
Rootसम् + आ + √लक्ष्
FormAbsolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada
हतसूतम्having (his) charioteer slain
हतसूतम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootहत + सूत
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
अरिंदमthe foe-subduer (enemy-tamer)
अरिंदम:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootअरि + दम
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
A
ariṃdama (epithet of the addressed king, typically Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights a battlefield ethic: a warrior’s effectiveness depends on the integrity of his supports (horses, charioteer, order). When these are destroyed, the situation becomes a moral and strategic crisis, testing steadiness, judgment, and adherence to kṣatriya-dharma under sudden reversal.

Sañjaya reports that a chariot is seen in a disabled state—its horses killed and its charioteer slain—signaling a decisive setback in the ongoing combat and setting up the next actions taken in response to that vulnerability.