Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 243

Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation

Devanagari script

द्विधा चिच्छेद समरे कृतहस्त: प्रतापवान्‌ | सिद्धहस्त एवं प्रतापी वीर शल्यने अपने भल्लोंद्वारा सात्यकिके चलाये हुए तोमरके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर डाले और भीमसेनके छोड़े हुए सुवर्णभूषित बाणके दो खण्ड कर डाले

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

dvidhā ciccheda samare kṛtahastaḥ pratāpavān | siddhahasta evaṁ pratāpī vīraḥ śalyaḥ svaballaiḥ sātyakicodita-tomarasyāpi khaṇḍaśaḥ cakāra, bhīmasenamuktaṁ suvarṇabhūṣitaṁ bāṇam api dvau khaṇḍau cakāra |

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า—ท่ามกลางศึกอันดุเดือด ศัลยะ กษัตริย์แห่งมทร ผู้ทรงเดชและชำนาญศัสตรา ด้วยศรอันแม่นยำได้ผ่าเป็นสองส่วน เขาทำลายทวนที่สัตยกีขว้างให้แตกเป็นเสี่ยง ๆ และยังผ่าศรประดับทองที่ภีมเสนยิงออกไปให้ขาดเป็นสองท่อน

Word by Word

• द्विधा: into two parts, in two
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्विधा

• चिच्छेद: cut, split
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, singular, Parasmaipada

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• कृतहस्तः: skilled-handed, accomplished
• कृतहस्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतहस्त
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• प्रतापवान्: mighty, valorous
• प्रतापवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतापवत्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Shalya
• Satyaki
• Bhimasena
• tomara (javelin)
• bhalla (arrow/shaft)
• suvarṇabhūṣita bāṇa (gold-adorned arrow)
• battlefield (samara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ideal of kṣatriya martial competence—precision, steadiness, and courage—while implicitly intensifying the epic’s ethical tension: extraordinary skill in war can be admirable as duty, yet it also magnifies destruction and suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that Shalya, fighting with great accuracy, breaks apart the javelin thrown by Satyaki and then splits into two the gold-decorated arrow shot by Bhimasena, demonstrating Shalya’s dominance in that exchange of missiles.