Shloka 39
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 33 — Kuru Cattle-Raid and Matsya Mobilization (भूमिंजय-प्रेरणा)
समासाद्य सुशर्माणमश्चानस्य व्यपोथयत् । पृष्ठगोपांश्व॒ तस्याथ हत्वा परमसायकै:
samāsādya suśarmāṇam aśvān asya vyapothayat | pṛṣṭhagopāṁś ca tasyātha hatvā paramasāyakaiḥ ||
സുശർമനെ സമീപിച്ച് അവന്റെ കുതിരകളെ വീഴ്ത്തി; പിന്നെ ഉത്തമ അമ്പുകളാൽ അവന്റെ പിൻഭാഗത്തെ ഗോരക്ഷകരെയും വധിച്ചു.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in action: in a just battle, one may disable the enemy’s mobility and support forces to protect the vulnerable (here, the cattle and their defenders) and to end aggression decisively.
The narrator describes a warrior closing in on Suśarmā, striking down his horses, and then killing Suśarmā’s rear-guard cattle-protectors with powerful arrows—an escalation that breaks the enemy’s ability to resist and safeguard the seized cattle.