Shloka 25
Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ
Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements
ततो5परेण भल््लेन हृद्येनं समताडयत् | स युद्धे युयुधानेन हताश्वो हतसारथि:
tato 'pareṇa bhallena hṛd yenaṃ samatāḍayat | sa yuddhe yuyudhānena hatāśvo hatasārathiḥ ||
Rồi chàng lại bắn một mũi bhalla sắc bén khác, đánh trúng vùng tim của đối thủ. Trong trận ấy, Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) khiến hắn mất cả ngựa lẫn người đánh xe.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh realism of kṣatriya-duty in war: victory often comes by disabling an opponent’s means of fighting (chariot, horses, charioteer) through swift, decisive action. It implicitly contrasts disciplined martial purpose with needless cruelty, showing combat as a domain governed by role-based dharma rather than personal malice.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior is struck in the heart with another bhalla-arrow, and that in the same battle Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) leaves him ‘hatāśva’ and ‘hatasārathi’—his horses and charioteer are killed—so his chariot is effectively neutralized.