Shloka 31
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
सुदर्शनस्तव सुतो भीमसेनं समभ्ययात् | सुशर्मा शकुनिश्चैव युयुधाते किरीटिना
sudarśanas tava suto bhīmasenaṃ samabhyayāt | suśarmā śakuniś caiva yuyudhāte kirīṭinā ||
Sañjaya said: Your son Sudarśana advanced straight toward Bhīmasena. And Suśarmā, together with Śakuni, was engaged in combat with the diademed Arjuna. The report highlights how, amid the moral collapse of war, each warrior is drawn into a fated confrontation—some seeking honor in direct battle, others relying on stratagem—while the field narrows into decisive personal duels.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts straightforward martial engagement (approaching an opponent face-to-face) with the broader reality that war also includes alliances and calculated tactics. Ethically, it points to the Kṣatriya ideal of meeting one’s foe directly, while reminding the listener that outcomes are shaped by both valor and strategy.
Sañjaya reports battlefield pairings: Sudarśana, the king’s son, advances to confront Bhīma, while Suśarmā and Śakuni are simultaneously fighting Arjuna (Kirīṭin). It is a snapshot of the battle’s shifting matchups as major warriors become locked into decisive encounters.