Shloka 316
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
चिच्छेद प्रहसन युद्धे क्षुरप्रेण महारथ: । इससे सुषेणको बड़ा क्रोध हुआ। उस महारथीने हँसते-हँसते युद्धस्थलमें एक क्षुरप्रके द्वारा पाण्डुकुमार नकुलके विशाल धनुषको काट डाला
sañjaya uvāca | ciccheda prahasan yuddhe kṣurapreṇa mahārathaḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: Di tengah pertempuran, pahlawan kereta agung itu, sambil tersenyum ketika bertarung, memutuskan busur besar Nakula, putera Pāṇḍu, dengan sebatang anak panah bermata pisau. Tindakan itu—dilakukan dengan mudah dan penuh keyakinan—membangkitkan kemarahan Suṣeṇa, menajamkan sisi peribadi pertarungan di dalam etika perang yang tidak mengenal henti.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how displays of prowess and psychological dominance (smiling while disabling an opponent’s weapon) can inflame anger and intensify violence; in dharma-yuddha, skill must be balanced with restraint, since humiliation and taunting often escalate conflict beyond necessity.
Sanjaya reports that a great warrior, fighting with confident ease, uses a razor-edged arrow to cut Nakula’s bow on the battlefield; this act triggers Sushena’s anger, setting up a sharper exchange in the ongoing combat.