Shloka 333
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
रुधिराप्लुतसर्वाड़ आशीविष इव श्वसन् | आपके पुत्रद्वारा ताड़ित होकर सहदेव फुफकारते हुए विषधर सर्पके समान लंबी साँस खींचते हुए रथके पिछले भागमें बैठ गये। उनका सारा शरीर लहूलुहान हो गया
rudhirāpluta-sarvāṅga āśīviṣa iva śvasan | āpake putra-dvārā tāḍitaḥ sahadevaḥ phuphkārate viṣadhara-sarpa-samānaḥ dīrghaṃ śvāsaṃ gṛhītvā rathasya paścima-bhāge niṣasāda | tasya sarvaṃ śarīraṃ lahū-luhānaṃ babhūva |
Sañjaya said: Sahadeva, his whole body drenched in blood, was struck by your son. Breathing hard like a venomous serpent and hissing in pain and fury, he drew long breaths and sat down in the rear of the chariot. His entire body had become a mass of wounds and blood—an image of the brutal cost of battle and the endurance demanded of a warrior amid relentless violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh ethical reality of war: even righteous warriors endure grievous suffering. It highlights resilience under pain and the dehumanizing intensity of battle, implicitly warning of the karmic and moral weight carried by those who choose violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Sahadeva has been struck by one of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons. Badly wounded and covered in blood, Sahadeva pants and hisses like a venomous snake and then sits in the rear of his chariot, struggling to recover his breath.