Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 193
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
चित्रसेनशिर: कायादपाहरत पाण्डव: । तत्पश्चात् पाण्डुकुमारने सुन्दर नासिका और विशाल नेत्रोंसे युक्त कुण्डल और मुकुटसहित चित्रसेनके मस्तकको धड़से काट लिया
sañjaya uvāca | citrasenaśiraḥ kāyād apāharat pāṇḍavaḥ | tataḥ paścāt pāṇḍukumāreṇa sundaranāsikā-viśālanetra-yuktaṃ kuṇḍala-mukuṭa-sahitaṃ citrasenasya mastakaṃ dhaḍāt kāṭitam |
Sanjaya said: A Pandava struck down Citrasena, severing and taking his head from his body. Thereafter, the son of Pandu cut off Citrasena’s head from the trunk—adorned with earrings and a crown, marked by a handsome nose and large eyes—depicting the grim finality of battlefield justice where valor and fate culminate in irreversible loss.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh dharma of war: in a kṣatriya battle context, victory and death are decisive, and even a noble, ornamented warrior meets the same end—highlighting impermanence and the grave ethical weight of violence.
Sanjaya reports that a Pandava kills the warrior Citrasena by severing his head from his body; the description notes the head’s ornaments (earrings and crown) and features, emphasizing the dramatic, brutal closure of the combat.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.