Shloka 473
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
सप्त चाष्टौ च त्रिंशच्च सायकैरनयत् क्षयम् । रणभूमिमें सुशर्माका वध करके अर्जुनने अपने बाणोंद्वारा उसके पैंतालीस महारथी पुत्रोंकी भी यमलोक पहुँचा दिया
sañjaya uvāca | sapta cāṣṭau ca triṃśac ca sāyakair anayad kṣayam | raṇabhūmau suśarmāṇaṃ vadhaṃ kṛtvā arjunena svabāṇair api tasya pañcatvāriṃśan mahārathī-putrā yamalokaṃ prāpitāḥ |
三阇耶说道：阿周那以箭矢使七人、八人以及三十名战士走向毁灭；而在战场上，诛杀苏舍尔摩之后，他又以自己的箭，将苏舍尔摩的四十五个儿子——皆为大车战士——送往阎摩之界。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya-dharma in a total war: a warrior’s duty and skill can culminate in large-scale killing, and the narrative does not soften the moral gravity—death is presented as an inevitable consequence of choosing the battlefield path.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, using his arrows, destroys groups of enemy fighters, kills Suśarmā, and then slays Suśarmā’s forty-five sons—described as mahārathīs—sending them to Yama’s realm.