Shloka 343
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 33 — Kuru Cattle-Raid and Matsya Mobilization (भूमिंजय-प्रेरणा)
युधिष्ठिरसमादिष्टो निजघ्ने पुरुषर्षभ: । नकुलने अपने बाणोंसे सात सौ सैनिकोंको यमराजके घर भेज दिया तथा पुरुषोंमें श्रेष्ठ प्रतापी वीर सहदेवने युधिष्ठिरकी आज्ञासे तीन सौ शूरवीरोंका संहार कर डाला
yudhiṣṭhira-samādiṣṭo nijaghne puruṣarṣabhaḥ | nakulena sva-bāṇaiḥ sapta-śatāni sainikān yama-rājasya gṛhaṃ preṣitāni tathā puruṣeṣu śreṣṭhaḥ pratāpī vīraḥ sahadevaḥ yudhiṣṭhirasya ājñayā tri-śatān śūrān saṃhṛtya nipātayām āsa |
Vaiśampāyana said: Acting under Yudhiṣṭhira’s command, the bull among men struck down the foe. Nakula, with his own arrows, sent seven hundred soldiers to the abode of Yama, and the mighty hero Sahadeva—foremost among men—by Yudhiṣṭhira’s order destroyed three hundred valiant warriors. The passage underscores disciplined obedience to rightful leadership amid battle, where personal prowess is exercised within the frame of commanded duty.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Martial power is portrayed as ethically bounded by dharma through disciplined obedience to legitimate leadership: Nakula and Sahadeva act not from personal rage or ambition but under Yudhiṣṭhira’s command, emphasizing duty, order, and responsibility in warfare.
In the course of battle, Vaiśampāyana reports that Nakula, using his arrows, kills seven hundred enemy soldiers, and Sahadeva kills three hundred heroic warriors—both acting on Yudhiṣṭhira’s instructions—highlighting the Pandavas’ coordinated prowess.