Shloka 8
तस्या: शरेण तीक्ष्णेन पृथुधारेण पाण्डव: । शिरक्षिच्छेद गच्छन्त्यास्तामपश्यच्छचीपति:
tasyāḥ śareṇa tīkṣṇena pṛthudhāreṇa pāṇḍavaḥ | śiraś ciccheda gacchantyās tām apaśyac chacīpatiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: With a sharp arrow, broad-bladed and keen, the Pāṇḍava cut off the head of that fleeing serpent-woman. Śacī’s lord, Indra, witnessed her condition with his own eyes. The episode underscores the swift, decisive use of force to avert imminent danger, while also foreshadowing divine attention to human acts and their consequences.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights decisive action in the face of immediate threat and the idea that deeds occur under a moral universe where even gods may witness and respond—implying accountability and consequences (karma) for violent acts, even when performed as protection.
A serpent-woman is fleeing; Arjuna (the Pāṇḍava) shoots a sharp, broad-bladed arrow and severs her head. Indra (Śacī’s husband) sees this event directly.