Shloka 273
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
सात्यकिर्नवभिश्वैनमवधीत् कुरुपुड़्वम् । सोमदत्तने सात्यकिको नौ बाणोंसे बींध डाला। फिर सात्यकिने भी कुरुश्रेष्ठ सोमदत्तको नौ बाणोंसे घायल कर दिया
sātyakir navabhiḥ śarair enam avadhīt kuru-puṅgavam | somadattaṃ tataḥ sātyakiḥ punar navabhiḥ śarair viddhvā vyathayām āsa ||
Somadatta menembus Sātyaki dengan sembilan anak panah. Lalu Sātyaki pun membalas, melukai Somadatta—sang unggul di antara kaum Kuru—dengan sembilan batang panah.
सयजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh logic of kṣatriya warfare: disciplined force and repeated, proportionate strikes drive the battle forward. Ethically, it reflects how dharma in war can become a duty-bound contest of prowess, even as it intensifies suffering.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki hits a leading Kuru warrior with nine arrows and then again pierces Somadatta with nine arrows, leaving him wounded—an ongoing exchange of lethal archery in the Drona Parva battle.