Shloka 21
त्रिपुरदाह-इतिहासः
Tripura-destruction exemplum and counsel to Śalya
परंतु शकुनिने तुरंत ही दूसरे बाणोंद्वारा सुतसोमके बाणोंको काट डाला। वह शीघ्रतापूर्वक अस्त्र चलानेवाला, विचित्र युद्धमें कुशल और युद्धसस््थलमें विजयश्रीसे सुशोभित होनेवाला था। उसने समरांगणमें अपने तीखे बाणोंसे सुतसोमके बाणोंका निवारण करके अत्यन्त कुपित हो तीन बाणोंद्वारा सुतसतोमको भी घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | parantu śakunine turanta eva dvitīya-bāṇaiḥ sutasomasya bāṇān chittvā dadāra | sa śīghra-astraprayoktā vicitra-yuddha-kuśalo yuddha-sthale vijayaśriyā suśobhitaś ca āsīt | sa samara-aṅgaṇe sva-tīkṣṇa-bāṇaiḥ sutasomasya bāṇān nivārya atyantaṃ kupitaḥ san tribhir bāṇaiḥ sutasomam api vyathayām āsa ||
Sañjaya said: Yet Śakuni at once cut down Sutasoma’s arrows with other shafts. Swift in the use of weapons, skilled in the varied arts of battle, and radiant with the fortune of victory upon the field, he checked Sutasoma’s missiles with his own sharp arrows. Then, inflamed with anger, he wounded Sutasoma himself with three arrows. The episode underscores how prowess and tactical skill, when driven by wrath, intensify the violence of war and eclipse restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how technical excellence in warfare can be amplified by anger, leading to escalated harm. It implicitly contrasts martial competence with the need for restraint and clarity of mind—virtues repeatedly valued in epic ethics even amid inevitable conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Śakuni quickly intercepts and cuts down Sutasoma’s incoming arrows, demonstrating speed and battlefield skill. After neutralizing the attack, Śakuni—angered—shoots three arrows that wound Sutasoma.