Shloka 17
अर्जुन–उलूपीसंवादः
Arjuna and Ulūpī: Explanation of Śānti and the Maṇipūra Resolution
सव्यसाची तु संक्रुद्धों विकृष्प बलवद् धनु: । हयांश्वकार निर्जीवान् सारथेश्व शिरोडहरत्,अब सव्यसाची अर्जुनका क्रोध बढ़ गया। उन्होंने अपने धनुषको जोरसे खींचा और मेघसन्धिके घोड़ोंको प्राणहीन करके उसके सारथिका भी सिर उड़ा दिया
savyasācī tu saṁkruddho vikṛṣya balavad dhanuḥ | hayāṁś cākār nirjīvān sārathes tu śiro 'harat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then Arjuna, the ambidextrous archer, inflamed with anger, drew his bow with great force. He struck down the horses, leaving them lifeless, and he also severed the charioteer’s head. The episode underscores how, in the heat of battle, wrath can drive even a righteous hero to swift and uncompromising violence—raising the ethical tension between necessary martial action and the peril of anger overwhelming restraint.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral danger of krodha (anger): even when a warrior’s duty permits force in battle, anger can intensify violence and narrow discernment. It invites reflection on self-control as an ethical safeguard within kṣatriya-dharma.
Arjuna, provoked and furious, draws his bow powerfully and disables the enemy chariot by killing its horses; he then beheads the charioteer, decisively neutralizing the opponent’s mobility and command.