Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 13
अध्याय २२ — अमर्याद-युद्धवर्णन
Unrestrained Battle Description and Śakuni’s Rear Assault
प्रतापी माद्रीपुत्र सहदेवने उस कटे हुए धनुषको फेंककर दूसरा विशाल धनुष हाथमें ले राजा दुर्योधनपर धावा किया और युद्धस्थलमें दस बाणोंसे उसे घायल कर दिया ।।
sañjaya uvāca | pratāpī mādrīputraḥ sahadevaḥ taṃ chinnaṃ dhanuḥ kṣipraṃ nikṣipya anyad vipulaṃ dhanuḥ pāṇau gṛhītvā rājānaṃ duryodhanaṃ prati abhyadravat | yuddhasthale ca daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ taṃ vivyādha | nakulas tu tato vīro maheṣvāso rājānaṃ navabhiḥ śaraiḥ ghorarūpaiḥ vivyādha ca nanāda ca ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Der tapfere Sahadeva, Sohn der Mādrī, warf den zerschnittenen Bogen fort, ergriff einen anderen großen Bogen und stürmte geradewegs auf König Duryodhana zu. Auf dem Schlachtfeld traf er ihn mit zehn Pfeilen. Dann durchbohrte der heldenhafte Nakula, ein mächtiger Bogenschütze, König Duryodhana mit neun schrecklichen Geschossen und ließ einen lauten Kampfschrei erschallen.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights kṣatriya-dharma: even after losing a weapon, a warrior must regain composure, rearm, and continue the fight with courage and discipline. It also shows how battlefield conduct includes both physical action (striking with arrows) and psychological assertion (the war-cry), underscoring resolve without abandoning duty.
Sahadeva’s bow is cut; he throws it away, takes another large bow, charges Duryodhana, and wounds him with ten arrows. Immediately after, Nakula also pierces Duryodhana with nine fearsome arrows and roars loudly, intensifying the pressure on the Kaurava king.