Shloka 46
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
सुशर्माणं समासाद्य बिभेद हृदयं रणे । क्रोधसे तमतमाये हुए धनुर्धर अर्जुनके द्वारा चलाये गये उस बाणने सुशर्मापर चोट करके उसकी छाती छेद डाली ।। स गतासुर्महाराज पपात धरणीतले
sañjaya uvāca | suśarmāṇaṃ samāsādya bibheda hṛdayaṃ raṇe | krodhena tam atamāye hūye dhanuḥdhara-arjunena calitena tena bāṇena suśarmāṇam āhatya tasya vakṣaḥ bibheda || sa gatāsuḥ mahārāja papāta dharaṇītale ||
Sanjaya said: Closing in upon Suśarmā on the battlefield, Arjuna—his wrath fully kindled—drove an arrow that pierced Suśarmā’s chest and split his heart. Bereft of life, O great king, Suśarmā fell upon the earth. The passage underscores the grim finality of war: prowess and anger achieve decisive results, yet the outcome is death, reminding the listener of the heavy moral cost borne by all who choose the path of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark moral weight of warfare: even when a warrior acts with skill and within the battlefield code, anger (krodha) intensifies violence and leads to irreversible loss of life, reminding the listener of mortality and the grave cost of conflict.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna closes in on Suśarmā during the fight and shoots an arrow that pierces his chest and heart; Suśarmā dies and falls to the ground.