Shloka 8
त्रिपुरदाह-इतिहासः
Tripura-destruction exemplum and counsel to Śalya
ध्वजमुन्मथितं दृष्ट्वा युयुत्सु: क्रो धमूर्च्छित: । उलूक॑ पञ्चभिर्बाणैराजघान स्तनान्तरे,अपने ध्वजका यह विध्वंस देखकर युयुत्सु क्रोधसे मूर्च्छित-सा हो गया और उसने पाँच बाणोंसे उलूककी छाती छेद डाली
dhvajam unmathitaṃ dṛṣṭvā yuyutsuḥ krodha-mūrcchitaḥ | ulūkaṃ pañcabhir bāṇair ājaghāna stanāntare ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing his banner shattered, Yuyutsu—overwhelmed as if fainting with rage—struck Ulūka in the chest with five arrows. The episode shows how, in the heat of battle, wounded honor and the loss of one’s emblem can ignite wrath that drives immediate, retaliatory violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how symbols of honor (like a warrior’s banner) can trigger intense anger, and how unchecked wrath quickly turns into violent retaliation—an ethical warning about the mind’s volatility amid war, even when one is acting within a warrior’s role.
In the midst of battle, Yuyutsu sees his banner destroyed. Enraged and overwhelmed, he immediately counterattacks and pierces Ulūka’s chest with five arrows, as reported by Sañjaya.