Shloka 8
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 42 — Duryodhana’s counsel to Bhīṣma on ajñātavāsa risk and raid strategy
कस्यायमसितश्नाप: पड्चशार्दूललक्षण: । वराहकर्णव्यामिश्रान् शरान् धारयते दश
uttara uvāca | kasyāyam asitaḥ śnāpaḥ pañcaśārdūlalakṣaṇaḥ | varāhakarṇavyāmiśrān śarān dhārayate daśa |
Uttara said: “Whose is this dark bow, marked with the emblems of five tigers? It is capable of holding ten arrows at once, their tips fashioned like the ears of a boar.”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment and respect for martial responsibility: Uttara recognizes that weapons carry identity and consequence, prompting inquiry before action—an ethical posture in a war-bound context.
In the Virāṭa episode, Uttara notices a distinctive bow and a set of specialized arrows and asks whose formidable weapon it is, signaling the discovery/identification of a great warrior’s arms.