Shloka 55
शिखण्डिनं द्वादशभिवविंशत्या चोत्तमौजसम् । वसुदानं च भल्लेन प्रैषयद् यमसादनम्,उन्होंने शिखण्डीको बारह और उत्तमौजाको बीस बाणोंसे घायल करके वसुदानको एक ही भल्लसे मारकर यमलोक भेज दिया
sañjaya uvāca | śikhaṇḍinaṃ dvādaśabhir viṃśatyā cottamaujasaṃ | vasudānaṃ ca bhallena praiṣayad yamasādanam ||
Sañjaya said: He struck Śikhaṇḍin with twelve arrows and Uttamaujā with twenty; and with a single broad-headed shaft he slew Vasudāna, sending him to Yama’s abode.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: martial excellence can decide life and death in an instant, reminding the listener that actions in battle carry irreversible consequences and that the epic’s dharma-discourse unfolds amid such stark realities.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield episode where a warrior wounds Śikhaṇḍin with twelve arrows and Uttamaujā with twenty, then kills Vasudāna with a single bhalla arrow, metaphorically ‘sending’ him to Yama’s realm.