Shloka 39
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
ततोअस्य स्यन्दनस्येषां चिच्छिदे पाण्डुनन्दन: । शिलाशितेन च विभो क्षुरप्रेण महायशा:
tato 'sya syandanasyeṣāṃ cicchide pāṇḍunandanaḥ | śilāśitena ca vibho kṣurapreṇa mahāyaśāḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Luego el hijo de Pāṇḍu, el héroe ilustre, con una flecha de filo de navaja afilada en piedra, cortó las riendas del carro de su adversario.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violence, the epic often highlights gradations of conduct: disabling an opponent’s capacity (here, control of the chariot via the reins) can be seen as a strategic restraint compared to directly killing, illustrating how skill and choice operate within the ethical pressures of war.
Sañjaya reports that the Pāṇḍava hero uses a stone-whetted, razor-edged arrow to sever the reins of the enemy’s chariot, thereby disrupting the opponent’s control and movement in the ongoing battle.