Shloka 9
त्रिपुरदाह-इतिहासः
Tripura-destruction exemplum and counsel to Śalya
उलूकस्तस्य समरे तैलधौतेन मारिष । शिरक्रिच्छेद भल्लेन यन्तुर्भरतसत्तम
ulūkas tasya samare tailadhautena māriṣa | śirakṛc cheda bhallena yantur bharatasattama ||
Sinabi ni Sanjaya: O kagalang-galang, sa labang iyon si Ulūka, gamit ang palasong malapad ang dulo na pinahiran ng langis, ay tumama at pumutol sa ulo ng kutsero—O pinakadakila sa mga Bharata.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.