Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 38
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
अर्जुन वासुदेवं च शरवर्षरवाकिरन् । तब वे त्रिगर्तदेशीय महारथी एक साथ होकर अर्जुन और श्रीकृष्णको अपने बाणोंकी वर्षसे आच्छादित करने लगे ।।
sañjaya uvāca | arjunaṃ vāsudevaṃ ca śaravarṣair avākiran | tataḥ te trigartadeśīyā mahārathā ekasāthaṃ bhūtvā arjunaṃ śrīkṛṣṇaṃ ca bāṇavarṣair ācchādayām āsuḥ || satyakarmāṇam ārakṣipya kṣurapreṇa mahāyaśāḥ śiraś ciccheda sahasā taptakuṇḍalabhūṣaṇam | prabho! tadā mahāyaśasā pāṇḍunandanena arjunena kṣurapreṇa satyakarmāṇam abhihatyāsya rathasya īṣāṃ (harṣāṃ) ciccheda | tataḥ sa mahāyaśā vīraḥ śilāparitejitena kṣurapreṇa tasya taptasuvarṇakuṇḍalabhūṣitaṃ mastakaṃ sahasā ciccheda ||
Disse Sañjaya: Os guerreiros de Trigarta cobriram Arjuna e Vāsudeva (Krishna) com uma chuva de flechas, querendo sufocar tanto o herói quanto seu cocheiro sob a tempestade de projéteis. Então Arjuna, o ilustre filho de Pāṇḍu, atingiu Satyakarman com uma flecha de fio de navalha, cortando o timão do carro; e, imediatamente depois, com outra flecha de lâmina aguda, afiada na pedra, decepou-lhe a cabeça—adornada com brincos de ouro aquecidos—com rapidez e decisão.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral landscape of war: coordinated aggression invites decisive counteraction, and martial excellence—when exercised within a warrior’s role—brings swift consequences. It also frames Krishna’s presence beside Arjuna as steady guidance amid chaos, while not softening the reality of violence.
Trigarta’s elite chariot-warriors jointly shower Arjuna and Krishna with arrows. Arjuna responds by striking Satyakarman: first severing the chariot’s pole, then cutting off Satyakarman’s head with a razor-edged, stone-whetted arrow.