चतुर्भिस् तु शरैस् तूर्णं चतुरस् तुरगोत्तमान् ॥
समीपं प्रेषयाम् आस प्रेतराजस्य भारत ॥
सारथेश् च शिरः कायाद् भल्लेन नतपर्वणा ॥
जहार रथशार्दूलः प्रहसञ् शिनिपुंगवः ॥
ततः शरं महाघोरं ज्वलन्तम् इव पावकम् ॥
मुमोच सात्वतो राजन् स्वर्णपुङ्खं शिलाशितम् ॥
स विमुक्तो बलवता शैनेयेन शरोत्तमः ॥
घोरस् तस्योरसि विभो निपपाताशु भारत ॥
caturbhis tu śarais tūrṇaṃ caturas turagottamān ||
samīpaṃ preṣayām āsa pretarājasya bhārata ||
sāratheś ca śiraḥ kāyād bhallena nataparvaṇā ||
jahāra rathaśārdūlaḥ prahasañ śinipuṃgavaḥ ||
tataḥ śaraṃ mahāghoraṃ jvalantam iva pāvakam ||
mumoca sātvato rājan svarṇapuṅkhaṃ śilāśitam ||
sa vimukto balavatā śaineyena śarottamaḥ ||
ghoras tasyorasi vibho nipapātāśu bhārata ||
And with four arrows he swiftly sent Somadatta's four excellent steeds to the abode of the lord of the departed, O Bharata. And with a smooth, broad-headed arrow that tiger among chariot-warriors, the bull of the Shini line, smiling, struck the charioteer's head from his body. Then Satvata loosed a terrible arrow, blazing like fire, O king — gold-fletched, sharpened on a stone. That arrow, the finest of shafts, loosed by mighty Shaineya, struck home at once, terrible, into his chest, O lord, O Bharata.
bdd6a8bc0505 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:40:45 PM UTC
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Satyaki methodically dismantles his enemy's chariot: horses, charioteer, and finally a fiery arrow to the chest. It is telling that these lethal blows again come 'smiling': not malicious glee, but the cold composure of a master for whom death itself has become a craft. The verse teaches the sober truth of war: victory is built by destroying the enemy's supports one by one, and in this businesslike calculation lies the whole ruthlessness of battle, where the enemy's life is merely the last of the props to be cut down.