Shloka 9
त्रिपुरदाह-इतिहासः
Tripura-destruction exemplum and counsel to Śalya
उलूकस्तस्य समरे तैलधौतेन मारिष । शिरक्रिच्छेद भल्लेन यन्तुर्भरतसत्तम
ulūkas tasya samare tailadhautena māriṣa | śirakṛc cheda bhallena yantur bharatasattama ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô vénérable, dans cette bataille Ulūka, d’une flèche à large pointe enduite d’huile, frappa et trancha la tête du cocher—ô le meilleur des Bhārata.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the brutal reality of war: skill and strategy often override compassion, and even supporting figures like charioteers can be violently eliminated, deepening the ethical tragedy of the Kurukṣetra conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Ulūka, using an oil-smeared broad-headed arrow, beheads the charioteer of a warrior engaged in the battle, marking a decisive and grim moment in the fighting.