Shloka 196
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
भीमसेनमुखांस्तांश्न त्रिभिस्त्रेभिरताडयत् । यह देख शल्यने एक क्षुरप्रसे सात्यकिके विशाल धनुषको काट दिया और भीमसेन आदिको भी तीन-तीन बाणोंसे चोट पहुँचायी
bhīmasenamukhāṁs tāṁś ca tribhis tribhir atāḍayat |
Sañjaya said: Seeing this, Śalya struck Bhīmasena and the other foremost warriors, each with three arrows. In the same exchange he also severed Sātyaki’s broad bow with a razor-headed shaft—an act that displays the ruthless precision of battlefield skill, where disabling an opponent’s weapon is as decisive as wounding the warrior himself.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where mastery and strategy—such as disabling an enemy’s weapon—can be more decisive than brute force. It also underscores the harsh reality of war: prowess is measured by effectiveness, even when the means are violent.
Sañjaya narrates Śalya’s actions: he wounds Bhīmasena and other leading fighters with three arrows each, and he cuts Sātyaki’s large bow with a razor-headed arrow, temporarily neutralizing Sātyaki’s fighting capacity.