निर्विद्धस् तु शरैर् घोरैर् अक्रुध्यत् सात्यकिर् भृशम् ॥
सायकान् व्यसृजच् चापि वीरो रुक्मरथं प्रति ॥
ततो द्रोणस्य यन्तारं निपात्यैकेषुणा भुवि ॥
अश्वान् व्यद्रावयद् बाणैर् हतसूतान् महात्मनः ॥
स रथः प्रद्रुतः संख्ये मण्डलानि सहस्रशः ॥
चकार राजतो राजन् भ्राजमान इवांशुमान् ॥
nirviddhas tu śarair ghorair akrudhyat sātyakir bhṛśam ||
sāyakān vyasṛjac cāpi vīro rukmarathaṃ prati ||
tato droṇasya yantāraṃ nipātyaikeṣuṇā bhuvi ||
aśvān vyadrāvayad bāṇair hatasūtān mahātmanaḥ ||
sa rathaḥ pradrutaḥ saṃkhye maṇḍalāni sahasraśaḥ ||
cakāra rājato rājan bhrājamāna ivāṃśumān ||
Pierced by dreadful arrows, Satyaki grew greatly enraged and, the hero, let fly arrows at the golden-charioted one. Then, having felled Drona's charioteer to the ground with a single arrow, he scattered with arrows the horses of the great-souled Drona, whose charioteer was now slain. That chariot, running loose in the battle with its charioteer slain, traced circles by the thousand, silvery, O king, gleaming like the radiant sun.
db51c31bd695 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:08:02 PM UTC
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Satyaki repays in the same measure: he fells Drona's charioteer, as Drona had struck down his. The chariot without a driver, "maṇḍalāni sahasraśaḥ," wheels in a thousand circles — an image of strength deprived of guiding will. It is telling that even the most formidable chariot is helpless without its charioteer. The verse teaches that all power needs a guiding intellect: bereft of direction, it circles without purpose, like a gleaming yet unguided chariot, and its very brilliance only underscores its helplessness.