Shloka 373
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 33 — Kuru Cattle-Raid and Matsya Mobilization (भूमिंजय-प्रेरणा)
अविध्यन्नवभिर्बाणैश्षतुर्भि श्षतुरो हयान् । तब सुशर्माने भी अत्यन्त कुपित हो बड़ी फुर्तीके साथ नौ बाणोंसे राजा युधिष्ठिरको और चार बाणोंसे उनके चारों घोड़ोंको बींध डाला
avaiḍhyann avabhir bāṇaiś caturbhiś caturaḥ hayān | tataḥ suśarmā api atyantaṁ kupito baḍī phūrtike sātha nava bāṇoṁ se rājā yudhiṣṭhir ko aura cāra bāṇoṁ se unke cāroṁ ghoṛoṁ ko bīndh ḍālā |
Vaiśampāyana disse: Com nove flechas ele atingiu (o rei) Yudhiṣṭhira, e com quatro flechas traspassou os quatro cavalos. Então Suśarmā também, tomado de ira extrema, agiu com grande rapidez—ferindo Yudhiṣṭhira com nove dardos e os quatro corcéis do rei com quatro. A cena evidencia como a cólera no campo de batalha aguça a violência e acelera a retaliação, mesmo contra um soberano conhecido por sua contenção e por seu dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how krodha (anger) intensifies violence and hastens retaliation in battle. Even when facing a dharmic king like Yudhiṣṭhira, an enraged warrior prioritizes swift harm over restraint, illustrating the ethical tension between kṣatriya duty and self-control.
In the Virāṭa Parva battle episode, Suśarmā (the Trigarta ruler) shoots Yudhiṣṭhira with nine arrows and wounds the king’s four horses with four arrows, showing a rapid, aggressive exchange of missile warfare.