Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 316
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
चिच्छेद प्रहसन युद्धे क्षुरप्रेण महारथ: । इससे सुषेणको बड़ा क्रोध हुआ। उस महारथीने हँसते-हँसते युद्धस्थलमें एक क्षुरप्रके द्वारा पाण्डुकुमार नकुलके विशाल धनुषको काट डाला
sañjaya uvāca | ciccheda prahasan yuddhe kṣurapreṇa mahārathaḥ |
Sanjaya said: In the midst of battle, that great chariot-warrior, smiling as he fought, severed Nakula’s mighty bow with a razor-edged arrow. The act—done with confident ease—provoked Sushena’s anger, sharpening the personal edge of the combat within the larger, relentless ethics of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how displays of prowess and psychological dominance (smiling while disabling an opponent’s weapon) can inflame anger and intensify violence; in dharma-yuddha, skill must be balanced with restraint, since humiliation and taunting often escalate conflict beyond necessity.
Sanjaya reports that a great warrior, fighting with confident ease, uses a razor-edged arrow to cut Nakula’s bow on the battlefield; this act triggers Sushena’s anger, setting up a sharper exchange in the ongoing combat.
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