Shloka 45
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
सुशर्माणं समुद्दिश्य चिक्षेपाशु हसन्निव । इसके बाद यमदण्डके समान भयंकर बाण हाथमें लेकर सुशर्माको लक्ष्य करके हँसते हुए-से शीघ्र ही छोड़ दिया ।। स शर: प्रेषितस्तेन क्रोधदीप्तेन धन्विना
suśarmāṇaṃ samuddiśya cikṣepāśu hasann iva | sa śaraḥ preṣitas tena krodha-dīptena dhanvinā ||
Sañjaya said: Aiming at Suśarmā, the archer swiftly let fly an arrow, as if laughing. That shaft, released by the bowman blazing with anger, sped forth like a rod of Death—an image of how wrath in war turns skill into terror and hastens ruin.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) intensifies violence: martial prowess, when driven by wrath and contempt, becomes fearsome and destructive, suggesting an ethical warning about the corrosive power of rage even amid righteous warfare.
Sañjaya narrates a battlefield moment: an archer fixes his aim on Suśarmā and quickly releases a deadly arrow, described as if the shooter were laughing—an image conveying confidence, scorn, and the lethal momentum of combat.