Shloka 62
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — दुर्योधनस्य ह्रदप्रवेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Duryodhana’s Entry into the Lake
शरेण कार्तस्वरभूषितेन दिवाकराभेण सुसंहितेन । ह्ातोत्तमाड़ो युधि पाण्डवेन पपात भूमौ सुबलस्य पुत्र:,वह सुवर्णभूषित बाण सूर्यके समान तेजस्वी तथा अच्छी तरह संधान करके चलाया गया था। उसके द्वारा पाण्डुकुमार सहदेवने युद्धस्थलमें जब सुबलपुत्र शकुनिका मस्तक काट डाला, तब वह प्राणशून्य होकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
saśareṇa kārtasvarabhūṣitena divākarābheṇa susaṁhitena | hato 'ttamāṅgo yudhi pāṇḍavena papāta bhūmau subalasya putraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: With a well-aimed arrow, adorned with gold and blazing like the sun, the Pāṇḍava (Sahadeva) struck down Subala’s son. His head severed in the midst of battle, Śakuni fell lifeless upon the earth—an act of war that completes a long chain of enmity and consequence on the Kurukṣetra field.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral logic of consequence in epic warfare: long-nurtured deceit and hostility culminate in inevitable retribution on the battlefield. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between dharma and violence—justice is pursued within the harsh framework of war, where outcomes are final and ethically weighty.
Sañjaya reports that Sahadeva, one of the Pāṇḍavas, shoots a brilliantly radiant, gold-adorned, well-aimed arrow that severs Śakuni’s head. Śakuni—identified as Subala’s son—falls dead to the ground in the midst of battle.