Shloka 25
शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः
Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel
अथास्य सशरं चापं मुष्टी चिच्छेद मारिष । हयांश्व चतुर: संख्ये प्रेषयामास मृत्यवे
athāsya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ muṣṭī ciccheda māriṣa | hayāṃś caturaḥ saṅkhye preṣayāmāsa mṛtyave ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O venerable one, he cut off his opponent’s bow along with the arrow already set upon it, and also severed his bow-hand. In that very clash of battle he dispatched the four horses to Death—an image of relentless martial skill where the momentum of war leaves little room for restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethical tension of war: extraordinary skill and decisive action can be praised as kṣatriya prowess, yet the narrative also highlights how quickly life and agency are extinguished on the battlefield, with Death portrayed as the inevitable recipient of violence.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior disables his opponent by cutting off the bow (with the arrow set) and severing the hand that holds it, then kills the opponent’s four horses in the midst of combat, effectively immobilizing the chariot and turning the tide of that encounter.