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 ||
Sañjaya said: Sātyaki struck down that bull among the Kurus with nine arrows. Then Sātyaki again pierced Somadatta with nine shafts, wounding him. The episode underscores the grim reciprocity of battle—skill and resolve expressed through measured, repeated blows—while the narrator’s tone keeps the focus on the inexorable momentum of war rather than triumph.
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.