Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 50
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
तस्य तेन शिर: कायाज्जहार नृपसत्तम । पश्यतां सर्वसैन्यानां तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्,नृपश्रेष्ठ॒ उस बाणसे नकुलने सम्पूर्ण सेनाओंके देखते-देखते सुषेणका मस्तक धड़से काट गिराया। वह अद्भुत-सी घटना हुई
tasya tena śiraḥ kāyāj jahāra nṛpasattama | paśyatāṃ sarvasainyānāṃ tad adbhutam ivābhavat ||
Sañjaya said: With that arrow, O best of kings, he severed his head from his body before the eyes of all the armies; the deed appeared almost miraculous in its suddenness and force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark immediacy of kṣatriya warfare: a single decisive strike can end a life and alter morale. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between duty in battle and the tragic, awe-inspiring cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Nakula, using an arrow, cuts off Suṣeṇa’s head from his body in full view of both armies, and the act is described as astonishing to behold.
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