Shloka 316
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
चिच्छेद प्रहसन युद्धे क्षुरप्रेण महारथ: । इससे सुषेणको बड़ा क्रोध हुआ। उस महारथीने हँसते-हँसते युद्धस्थलमें एक क्षुरप्रके द्वारा पाण्डुकुमार नकुलके विशाल धनुषको काट डाला
sañjaya uvāca | ciccheda prahasan yuddhe kṣurapreṇa mahārathaḥ |
Sañjaya dit : Au cœur du combat, ce grand guerrier de char, souriant en combattant, trancha l’arc puissant de Nakula, fils de Pāṇḍu, d’une flèche au tranchant de rasoir. Le geste—accompli avec une aisance sûre d’elle—souleva la colère de Suṣeṇa, aiguisant la pointe personnelle du duel au sein de l’éthique inexorable de la guerre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how displays of prowess and psychological dominance (smiling while disabling an opponent’s weapon) can inflame anger and intensify violence; in dharma-yuddha, skill must be balanced with restraint, since humiliation and taunting often escalate conflict beyond necessity.
Sanjaya reports that a great warrior, fighting with confident ease, uses a razor-edged arrow to cut Nakula’s bow on the battlefield; this act triggers Sushena’s anger, setting up a sharper exchange in the ongoing combat.