Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 376
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
पृथक् शराभ्यां चिच्छेद कृतहस्त: प्रतापवान् । तत्पश्चात् सिद्धहस्त और प्रतापी वीर सत्यसेनने पृथक्-पृथक् दो-दो बाणोंसे नकुलका धनुष और उनके रथके ईषादण्ड भी काट डाले
sañjaya uvāca | pṛthak śarābhyāṃ ciccheda kṛtahastaḥ pratāpavān | tatpaścāt siddhahastaḥ pratāpī vīraḥ satyasenaḥ pṛthak-pṛthak dvi-dvi bāṇaiḥ nakulasya dhanuḥ tasya rathasya ca īṣādaṇḍam api chittvā nyapātayat |
Sañjaya dit : Le puissant guerrier, habile de main et plein de vaillance, les trancha de deux flèches distinctes. Puis le héros Satyasena—main sûre et redoutable—abattit, par paires de traits tirés séparément, l’arc de Nakula et même le timon de son char.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, prowess is shown through controlled precision—disabling an opponent’s weapons and chariot rather than merely seeking a direct kill—reflecting the tactical dimension of kṣatriya conduct within the harsh framework of battlefield dharma.
Sanjaya narrates that the warrior Satyasena, with expert aim, cuts with separate pairs of arrows Nakula’s bow and even the pole of Nakula’s chariot, thereby crippling Nakula’s ability to fight and maneuver.