Shloka 523
Bhūriśravas–Sātyaki Saṃvāda and Duel; Arjuna’s Intervention (भूरिश्रवाः–सात्यकि संवादः, युद्धम्, अर्जुन-हस्तक्षेपः)
क्षुरेणास्य तृतीयेन शिरश्रिच्छेद सात्यकि: । तदनन्तर सात्यकिने तीसरे छुरेसे उसके सुन्दर दाँतोंवाले मनोहर कुण्डलमण्डित विशाल मस्तकको काट गिराया
kṣureṇāsya tṛtīyena śiraś ciccheda sātyakiḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: Dengan anak panah bermata pisau yang ketiga, Sātyaki memenggal kepala lawannya; kepala besar yang indah, bergigi elok dan bertatah subang itu pun gugur ke bumi.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between duty and destruction: in war, a kṣatriya may be bound to act with decisive force, yet the narrative continually reminds the listener that such victories are inseparable from suffering and moral weight.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki, using a third razor-like missile, cuts off his opponent’s head—an emphatic description of a lethal strike within the ongoing battle of the Droṇa Parva.