Shloka 583
चतुर्भिश्चतुरो वाहान् विव्याध सुबलात्मज: । प्रजानाथ! फिर सुबलपुत्रने एक बाणसे ध्वजको, दो बाणोंसे छत्रको और चार बाणोंसे उनके चारों घोड़ोंको भी घायल कर दिया
caturbhiś caturo vāhān vivyādha subalātmajaḥ |
Санджая сказал: О владыка людей! Сын Субалы явил беспощадное воинское мастерство: одной стрелой пронзил знамя, двумя — царский зонт, а четырьмя стрелами ранил всех четырёх коней, среди нарастающей ярости войны.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how technical prowess in war can be morally ambivalent: extraordinary skill is displayed in service of destruction, underscoring the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya excellence and the tragic cost of conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Subala’s son (Śakuni) shoots with great accuracy—hitting the opponent’s banner with one arrow, the parasol with two, and then wounding all four horses with four arrows—thereby impairing the enemy’s chariot and signaling dominance in that exchange.