Shloka 38
Adhyāya 61: Saṃmohana-astra and the Kuru Withdrawal (संमोहनास्त्रं तथा कुरुनिवृत्तिः)
दुःशासनस्तु भल्लेन विद्ध्वा वैराटमुत्तरम् । द्वितीयेनार्जुनं वीर: प्रत्यविध्यत् स्तनान्तरे,वीर दुःशासनने भल्ल नामक एक बाणसे विराटकुमार उत्तरको घायल करके दूसरेसे अर्जुनकी छाती छेद डाली
duḥśāsanas tu bhallena viddhvā vairāṭam uttaram | dvitīyenārjunaṃ vīraḥ pratyavidhyat stanāntare ||
दुःशासनस्तु भल्लेन विद्ध्वा वैराटमुत्तरम् । द्वितीयेनार्जुनं वीरः प्रत्यविध्यत् स्तनान्तरे ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the relentless reciprocity of battlefield action—strike and counterstrike—inviting reflection on how martial skill and aggression operate within the broader Mahābhārata concern: whether power is exercised in alignment with dharma or merely as force.
Duḥśāsana first wounds Uttara, the prince of Virāṭa, with a bhalla-arrow; then he shoots a second arrow that pierces Arjuna in the chest area, intensifying the combat sequence narrated by Vaiśampāyana.