Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 376
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
पृथक् शराभ्यां चिच्छेद कृतहस्त: प्रतापवान् । तत्पश्चात् सिद्धहस्त और प्रतापी वीर सत्यसेनने पृथक्-पृथक् दो-दो बाणोंसे नकुलका धनुष और उनके रथके ईषादण्ड भी काट डाले
sañjaya uvāca | pṛthak śarābhyāṃ ciccheda kṛtahastaḥ pratāpavān | tatpaścāt siddhahastaḥ pratāpī vīraḥ satyasenaḥ pṛthak-pṛthak dvi-dvi bāṇaiḥ nakulasya dhanuḥ tasya rathasya ca īṣādaṇḍam api chittvā nyapātayat |
Sanjaya sprach: Der mächtige Krieger, handgewandt und voller Kraft, trennte sie mit zwei getrennt abgeschossenen Pfeilen. Danach hieb der heldenhafte Satyasena—sicher in der Hand und furchterregend—mit paarweise, jeweils einzeln gelösten Pfeilen Nakulas Bogen nieder und sogar die Deichsel seines Streitwagens.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, prowess is shown through controlled precision—disabling an opponent’s weapons and chariot rather than merely seeking a direct kill—reflecting the tactical dimension of kṣatriya conduct within the harsh framework of battlefield dharma.
Sanjaya narrates that the warrior Satyasena, with expert aim, cuts with separate pairs of arrows Nakula’s bow and even the pole of Nakula’s chariot, thereby crippling Nakula’s ability to fight and maneuver.