Shloka 3
त्रिपुरदाह-इतिहासः
Tripura-destruction exemplum and counsel to Śalya
उलूकस्तु तत: क्रुद्धस्तव पुत्रस्य संयुगे । क्षुरप्रेण धनुश्छित्तवा ताडयामास कर्णिना
ulūkas tu tataḥ kruddhas tava putrasya saṁyuge | kṣurapreṇa dhanuś chittvā tāḍayāmāsa karṇinā ||
Sañjaya thưa: “Rồi Ulūka, bừng bừng phẫn nộ trên chiến địa đối với hoàng tử của bệ hạ, dùng mũi tên sắc như dao cắt đứt cây cung của chàng, và lại bắn trúng chàng bằng mũi tên karṇin.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) fuels escalation in war and how battlefield conduct often aims at disabling an opponent’s means (cutting the bow) rather than only seeking direct killing—showing the harsh, tactical dimension of kṣatriya warfare where composure and resilience are ethically crucial.
Sañjaya reports that Ulūka becomes furious in the fight against Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son; he uses a kṣurapra arrow to cut the opponent’s bow and then strikes him with a karṇin arrow, attempting to neutralize him and gain advantage in the duel.