Shloka 503
सात्यकिर्जलसंधस्य चिच्छेद प्रहसन्निव | फिर मधुवंशशिरोमणि सात्यकिने हँसते हुए-से दो छुरोंका प्रहार करके जलसंधकी आभूषणभूषित दोनों भुजाओंको काट दिया
sātyakir jalasaṃdhasya ciccheda prahasann iva |
Sañjaya said: Sātyaki, as though smiling, struck with two keen blows and severed both the ornament-adorned arms of Jalasaṃdha. The verse underscores the grim irony of war: even a moment that resembles mirth becomes a vehicle for ruthless violence, where prowess eclipses compassion and the battlefield’s ethic is victory through force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension of battlefield dharma: a warrior’s skill and resolve can appear almost casual, yet it produces irreversible harm. It invites reflection on how war normalizes cruelty and how ‘duty’ can coexist with disturbing emotional detachment.
Sañjaya narrates that Sātyaki attacks the warrior Jalasaṃdha and, with two swift strikes, severs both of his ornamented arms—an emphatic depiction of Sātyaki’s dominance in the melee.