Shloka 553
धनुश्चिच्छेद भल्लेन सौबलस्य हसन्निव । राजन! उस बाणके धराशायी हो जानेपर भीमसेनने क्रोधपूर्वक हँसते हुए-से एक भल्ल मारकर शकुनिके धनुषको काट दिया
dhanuś ciccheda bhalleṇa saubalasya hasann iva | rājan, tasmin bāṇe dharāśāyī bhūte bhīmasenaḥ krodhapūrvakaṃ hasann ivaikaṃ bhallaṃ prahṛtya śakuneḥ dhanuś ciccheda ||
Disse Sañjaya: Ó rei, como se risse com escárnio, Bhīmasena decepou o arco de Saubala (Śakuni) com uma flecha aguda de ponta larga. Ó rei, mesmo depois de aquela flecha tê-lo derrubado ao chão, Bhīma—impelido pela ira—pareceu rir e golpeou de novo, cortando o arco de Śakuni.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger can drive relentless action in war: Bhīma, still inflamed with wrath, presses his advantage by disabling the enemy’s weapon. It implicitly contrasts strategic decisiveness with the moral danger of krodha (rage), a force that can eclipse restraint even when victory is already within reach.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma, seemingly laughing in contempt, strikes with a bhalla and cuts Śakuni’s bow. Even after an arrow has brought Śakuni down, Bhīma continues in anger and again severs Śakuni’s bow, leaving him disarmed in the midst of battle.