Shloka 9

त्रिपुरदाह-इतिहासः

Tripura-destruction exemplum and counsel to Śalya

Devanagari script

उलूकस्तस्य समरे तैलधौतेन मारिष । शिरक्रिच्छेद भल्लेन यन्तुर्भरतसत्तम

Transliteration

ulūkas tasya samare tailadhautena māriṣa | śirakṛc cheda bhallena yantur bharatasattama ||

Translation

சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்—பரதகுலச் சிறந்தவனே! அந்தப் போரில் உலூகன் எண்ணெய் தடவிய அகன்ற முனையம்பால் யுயுத்ஸுவின் தேரோட்டியின் தலையை வெட்டினான்.

Word by Word

उलूकःUluka

तस्यof him

समरेin battle

तैलधौतेनwith (a weapon) polished/cleansed with oil

मारिषO sir (term of address)

शिरःhead

कृच्छेदcut off

भल्लेनwith a bhalla-arrow

यन्तुःof the charioteer

भरतसत्तमO best of the Bharatas

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Ulūka

charioteer (yantṛ)

bhalla-arrow

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the brutal reality of war: skill and strategy often override compassion, and even supporting figures like charioteers can be violently eliminated, deepening the ethical tragedy of the Kurukṣetra conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Ulūka, using an oil-smeared broad-headed arrow, beheads the charioteer of a warrior engaged in the battle, marking a decisive and grim moment in the fighting.