Shloka 343
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 33 — Kuru Cattle-Raid and Matsya Mobilization (भूमिंजय-प्रेरणा)
युधिष्ठिरसमादिष्टो निजघ्ने पुरुषर्षभ: । नकुलने अपने बाणोंसे सात सौ सैनिकोंको यमराजके घर भेज दिया तथा पुरुषोंमें श्रेष्ठ प्रतापी वीर सहदेवने युधिष्ठिरकी आज्ञासे तीन सौ शूरवीरोंका संहार कर डाला
yudhiṣṭhira-samādiṣṭo nijaghne puruṣarṣabhaḥ | nakulena sva-bāṇaiḥ sapta-śatāni sainikān yama-rājasya gṛhaṃ preṣitāni tathā puruṣeṣu śreṣṭhaḥ pratāpī vīraḥ sahadevaḥ yudhiṣṭhirasya ājñayā tri-śatān śūrān saṃhṛtya nipātayām āsa |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Auf Yudhiṣṭhiras Befehl erschlug der Stier unter den Männern den Feind. Nakula sandte mit seinen eigenen Pfeilen siebenhundert Soldaten in Yamas Wohnstatt; und der mächtige Held Sahadeva—der Vornehmste unter den Männern—vernichtete auf Yudhiṣṭhiras Geheiß dreihundert tapfere Krieger. Die Stelle betont die disziplinierte Gefolgschaft gegenüber rechtmäßiger Führung im Kampf, wo persönliche Tapferkeit im Rahmen des befohlenen Dienstes ausgeübt wird.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Martial power is portrayed as ethically bounded by dharma through disciplined obedience to legitimate leadership: Nakula and Sahadeva act not from personal rage or ambition but under Yudhiṣṭhira’s command, emphasizing duty, order, and responsibility in warfare.
In the course of battle, Vaiśampāyana reports that Nakula, using his arrows, kills seven hundred enemy soldiers, and Sahadeva kills three hundred heroic warriors—both acting on Yudhiṣṭhira’s instructions—highlighting the Pandavas’ coordinated prowess.