Shloka 9
Śalya’s Objection to Sārathya and Duryodhana’s Conciliation (शल्यमन्यु-प्रशमनम् / Sārathyāṅgīkāra)
नकुलस्तु ततो विद्ध: सूतपुत्रेण भारत | अशीत्याशीविषप्रख्यै: सूतपुत्रमविध्यत,भारत! सूतपुत्रके द्वारा घायल होकर नकुलने उसे भी विषधर सर्पोंके समान अस्सी बाणोंसे क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया
nakulastu tato viddhaḥ sūtaputreṇa bhārata | aśītyāśīviṣaprakhyaiḥ sūtaputramavidhyat, bhārata! |
Sañjaya said: “Then Nakula, struck by the charioteer’s son, O Bhārata, retaliated by piercing that same Sūtaputra with eighty arrows, fierce as venomous serpents—rending and wounding him in the midst of battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reciprocity inherent in battlefield ethics: a warrior who is struck responds with measured but forceful counteraction, reflecting kṣatriya-dharma where endurance, retaliation, and martial competence operate within the accepted rules of combat.
Sañjaya reports that Nakula is first wounded by the Sūtaputra; immediately afterward, Nakula counters by striking the same opponent with eighty arrows described as serpent-like in their deadly force.