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

Sañjaya nói: Hỡi bậc đáng kính, trong trận ấy Ulūka dùng mũi tên đầu bẹt bôi dầu, đánh và chém lìa đầu người đánh xe—hỡi bậc ưu tú nhất trong dòng Bharata.

Word by Word

• उलूकः: Uluka
• उलूकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उलूक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तैलधौतेन: with (a weapon) polished/cleansed with oil
• तैलधौतेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तैलधौत
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• मारिष: O sir (term of address)
• मारिष: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारिष
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कृच्छेद: cut off
• कृच्छेद: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृच्छेद
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha), 3rd, Singular

• भल्लेन: with a bhalla-arrow
• भल्लेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्ल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• यन्तुः: of the charioteer
• यन्तुः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यन्तृ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• भरतसत्तम: O best of the Bharatas
• भरतसत्तम: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरतसत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Ulūka
• charioteer (yantṛ)
• bhalla-arrow

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.