Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 11
अध्याय २२ — अमर्याद-युद्धवर्णन
Unrestrained Battle Description and Śakuni’s Rear Assault
धनुश्चिच्छेद भल्लेन सहदेवस्य मारिष | भरतश्रेष्ठ! उसने युद्धस्थलमें युधिष्ठिरको सौ
sañjaya uvāca | dhanuś ciccheda bhallena sahadevasya mārīṣa | bharataśreṣṭha! sa yuddhasthale yudhiṣṭhiraṃ śatena bhīmasenaṃ saptatyā sahadevaṃ pañcabhir nakulaṃ catuḥṣaṣṭyā dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ pañcabhir draupadī-putrān saptabhiḥ saptabhiś ca sātyakiṃ tribhir bāṇair āhatavān | mānyavara! sārdhaṃ caikena bhallena sahadevasya dhanuś ciccheda || tad apāsya dhanuś chinnaṃ mādrī-putraḥ pratāpavān ||
Sañjaya dit : « Ô seigneur vénérable, d’une flèche bhalla acérée il trancha l’arc de Sahadeva. Ô le meilleur des Bharata ! Sur le champ de bataille, il frappa Yudhiṣṭhira de cent flèches, Bhīmasena de soixante-dix, Sahadeva de cinq, Nakula de soixante-quatre, Dhṛṣṭadyumna de cinq, les fils de Draupadī de sept chacun, et Sātyaki de trois. Et encore, seigneur honoré, d’un seul bhalla il sectionna aussi l’arc de Sahadeva. Rejetant l’arc brisé, le vaillant fils de Mādrī (Sahadeva) se prépara à poursuivre le combat. »
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid intense violence, the episode highlights kṣatriya-dharma: steadfastness and composure under loss. Sahadeva’s bow is cut, yet he does not collapse; he discards the broken weapon and continues—an ethic of resilience and duty in battle.
Sañjaya reports a surge of martial dominance: a warrior showers key Pāṇḍava leaders and allies with arrows in specified counts, then decisively severs Sahadeva’s bow with a bhalla. Sahadeva, the son of Mādrī, throws away the broken bow to keep fighting.