Mahabharata 9.13.153 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 13, Shloka 153
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
धनुश्विच्छेद समरे सज्यं स सुमहारथ: । मान्यवर! तदनन्तर उन श्रेष्ठ महारथी शल्यने समरांगणमें एक दूसरे भल्लके द्वारा धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरके प्रत्यंचासहित धनुषको काट डाला
sañjaya uvāca | dhanuśviccheda-samare sajyaṃ sa sumahārathaḥ | mānyavara! tad-anantaraṃ śreṣṭha-mahārathī śalyena samarāṅgaṇe eka-anyara-bhallakena dharmaputra-yudhiṣṭhirasya pratyañcā-sahitaṃ dhanuḥ chittvā pātayām āsa |
Sanjaya said: In that battle of severing bows, the great chariot-warrior kept his bow strung. Then, O revered one, immediately afterward the foremost warrior Shalya, on the battlefield, with another sharp arrow, cut down Dharmaputra Yudhishthira’s bow together with its bowstring.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most righteous person can be placed in sudden disadvantage; dharma in war is tested not by comfort but by composure, resolve, and adherence to duty amid loss and provocation.
During the fight, Shalya demonstrates superior marksmanship by cutting Yudhishthira’s bow along with its string using a sharp arrow, momentarily disarming him on the battlefield.
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