Shloka 553

Devanagari script

धनुश्चिच्छेद भल्‍लेन सौबलस्य हसन्निव । राजन! उस बाणके धराशायी हो जानेपर भीमसेनने क्रोधपूर्वक हँसते हुए-से एक भल्ल मारकर शकुनिके धनुषको काट दिया

Transliteration

dhanuś ciccheda bhalleṇa saubalasya hasann iva | rājan, tasmin bāṇe dharāśāyī bhūte bhīmasenaḥ krodhapūrvakaṃ hasann ivaikaṃ bhallaṃ prahṛtya śakuneḥ dhanuś ciccheda ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Tâu Đại vương, như cười khinh miệt, Bhīmasena dùng một mũi tên đầu bản sắc bén chém đứt cây cung của Saubala (Śakuni). Dẫu mũi tên trước đã quật chàng ngã xuống đất, Bhīma—vẫn bị cơn giận thúc đẩy—dường như bật cười rồi lại ra đòn, cắt phăng cung của Śakuni.

Word by Word

• धनुः: bow
• धनुः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• चिच्छेद: cut, severed
• चिच्छेद: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

• सौबलस्य: of Saubala (Shakuni)
• सौबलस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौबल
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• हसन्: laughing
• हसन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हस्
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: as if, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Śakuni (Saubala)
• bow (dhanuḥ)
• bhalla (broad-headed arrow)
• arrow (bāṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger can drive relentless action in war: Bhīma, still inflamed with wrath, presses his advantage by disabling the enemy’s weapon. It implicitly contrasts strategic decisiveness with the moral danger of krodha (rage), a force that can eclipse restraint even when victory is already within reach.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma, seemingly laughing in contempt, strikes with a bhalla and cuts Śakuni’s bow. Even after an arrow has brought Śakuni down, Bhīma continues in anger and again severs Śakuni’s bow, leaving him disarmed in the midst of battle.