Shloka 8
Karṇa’s Camp-Council Discourse: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament, Sañjaya’s Counsel, and Karṇa’s Request for Śalya
Book 8, Chapter 22
अथान्यद् धनुरादाय सहदेव: प्रतापवान् | दुःशासनाय चिक्षेप बाणमन्तकरं ततः,तदनन्तर प्रतापी सहदेवने दूसरा धनुष लेकर दुःशासनपर एक विनाशकारी बाणका प्रहार किया
athānyad dhanur ādāya sahadevaḥ pratāpavān | duḥśāsanāya cikṣepa bāṇam antakaraṃ tataḥ ||
तदनन्तर प्रतापी सहदेव ने दूसरा धनुष उठा लिया और दुःशासन पर एक प्राणान्तक बाण का प्रहार किया।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its starkest form: once battle is joined, a warrior acts with resolve and skill. Ethically, it reflects how duty and long-standing hostility can converge, making violence appear as a sanctioned instrument within the war’s moral framework.
Sañjaya reports that Sahadeva, displaying prowess, takes up another bow and shoots a deadly arrow at Duhśāsana, indicating an intensification of direct combat between prominent warriors.