Shloka 273
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
जघान निशितैर्बाणै: सत्यसेनस्यथ वाजिन: । तब नकुलने हँसकर रणभूमिमें चार पैने बाणोंद्वारा सत्यसेनके चारों घोड़ोंको मार डाला
jaghāna niśitair bāṇaiḥ satyasenasya atha vājinaḥ | tataḥ nakulena haṃsakar raṇabhūmau caturbhiḥ paiṇaiḥ bāṇaiḥ satyasenasya catvāro 'śvāḥ hatāḥ ||
三阇耶说道：他以锋利之箭射倒了萨提耶塞那的战马。继而，纳库拉在兵刃交击的喧嚣中自信含笑，于战场上以四支劲锐之矢一一射毙萨提耶塞那的四匹骏马——此举在当下并不直取武士性命，而是先断其机动与战车之力，正合战车之战的战术与节制之道。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tactical dimension of dharma-yuddha: disabling an enemy’s chariot by killing the horses can be a strategic choice that shifts the fight’s balance without immediately aiming at the warrior’s death, illustrating how battlefield ethics and practical necessity intertwine in epic warfare.
Sañjaya reports that Nakula, using four sharp arrows, kills the four horses of Satyasena’s chariot on the battlefield, thereby immobilizing or weakening Satyasena’s combat position.