Shloka 9
Bhagadatta’s Astra and the Fall of the Prāgjyotiṣa King (भगदत्त-वधः / वैष्णवास्त्र-प्रसङ्गः)
ततो भुजगसंकाशां सुशर्मा शक्तिमायसीम् | चिक्षेपार्जुनमादिश्य वासुदेवाय तोमरम्,तदनन्तर सुशर्माने सर्पके समान आकृतिवाली लोहेकी बनी हुई एक शक्तिको अर्जुनके ऊपर चलाया और वसुदेवनन्दन श्रीकृष्णपर तोमरसे प्रहार किया
tato bhujagasaṅkāśāṃ suśarmā śaktim āyasīm | cikṣepārjunam ādiśya vāsudevāya tomaram ||
Lalu Suśarmā melemparkan śakti dari besi yang berkilau laksana ular, mengarahkannya kepada Arjuna; dan ia pun menghantam Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) dengan tomara.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, anger and rivalry can intensify into increasingly dangerous actions; it implicitly cautions that ethical restraint is tested most severely amid conflict, especially when one extends aggression even toward a charioteer-guide like Kṛṣṇa.
Sañjaya reports that Suśarmā throws a serpent-like iron śakti aimed at Arjuna and also launches a tomara strike toward Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa), marking a sharp escalation in the battle’s exchanges.