Shloka 373
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 33 — Kuru Cattle-Raid and Matsya Mobilization (भूमिंजय-प्रेरणा)
अविध्यन्नवभिर्बाणैश्षतुर्भि श्षतुरो हयान् । तब सुशर्माने भी अत्यन्त कुपित हो बड़ी फुर्तीके साथ नौ बाणोंसे राजा युधिष्ठिरको और चार बाणोंसे उनके चारों घोड़ोंको बींध डाला
avaiḍhyann avabhir bāṇaiś caturbhiś caturaḥ hayān | tataḥ suśarmā api atyantaṁ kupito baḍī phūrtike sātha nava bāṇoṁ se rājā yudhiṣṭhir ko aura cāra bāṇoṁ se unke cāroṁ ghoṛoṁ ko bīndh ḍālā |
Vaiśampāyana said: With nine arrows he struck (King) Yudhiṣṭhira, and with four he pierced the four horses. Then Suśarmā too, inflamed with wrath, moved with great swiftness—wounding Yudhiṣṭhira with nine shafts and the king’s four steeds with four. Thus does anger on the battlefield sharpen violence and hasten retaliation, even against a ruler famed for restraint and dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how krodha (anger) intensifies violence and hastens retaliation in battle. Even when facing a dharmic king like Yudhiṣṭhira, an enraged warrior prioritizes swift harm over restraint, illustrating the ethical tension between kṣatriya duty and self-control.
In the Virāṭa Parva battle episode, Suśarmā (the Trigarta ruler) shoots Yudhiṣṭhira with nine arrows and wounds the king’s four horses with four arrows, showing a rapid, aggressive exchange of missile warfare.