Shloka 2
तस्यापतत एवाशु भल््लेनामित्रकर्शन: । माद्रीपुत्र: शिरो यन्तु: सशिरस्त्राणमच्छिनत्,उसके आते ही शत्रुसूदन माद्रीकुमार सहदेवने शीघ्र ही एक भल्ल मारकर दुःशासनके सारथिका मस्तक शिरस्त्राणसहित काट डाला
tasyāpatata evāśu bhallenāmitrakarśanaḥ | mādrīputraḥ śiro yantuḥ saśirastrāṇam acchinat ||
Sañjaya said: As he rushed in, the enemy-subduing son of Mādrī—Sahadeva—swiftly struck with a bhalla arrow and severed the charioteer’s head, helmet and all. The scene underscores the ruthless momentum of battle, where skill and resolve are exercised without pause, even as the moral weight of violence hangs over every decisive act.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the uncompromising nature of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-karma): swift, decisive action is demanded in war, yet the narration also invites reflection on the grave ethical cost of violence that accompanies such duty.
As an opponent charges in, Sahadeva (son of Mādrī) quickly uses a bhalla arrow to sever the charioteer’s head, cutting it off along with the helmet—an emphatic depiction of Sahadeva’s martial prowess amid the Drona Parva fighting.