प्रतिलभ्य ततः संज्ञां नकुलः पाण्डुनन्दनः ॥
अभ्ययात् सौबलं भूयो व्यात्तानन इवान्तकः ॥
संक्रुद्धः शकुनिं षष्ट्या विव्याध भरतर्षभ ॥
पुनश् चैव शतेनैव नाराचानां स्तनान्तरे ॥
ततो ऽस्य सशरं चापं मुष्टिदेशे स चिच्छिदे ॥
ध्वजं च त्वरितं छित्त्वा रथाद् भूमाव् अपातयत् ॥
सो ऽतिविद्धो महाराज रथोपस्थ उपाविशत् ॥
तं विसंज्ञं निपतितं दृष्ट्वा स्यालं तवानघ ॥
अपोवाह रथेनाशु सारथिर् ध्वजिनीमुखात् ॥
pratilabhya tataḥ saṃjñāṃ nakulaḥ pāṇḍunandanaḥ ||
abhyayāt saubalaṃ bhūyo vyāttānana ivāntakaḥ ||
saṃkruddhaḥ śakuniṃ ṣaṣṭyā vivyādha bharatarṣabha ||
punaś caiva śatenaiva nārācānāṃ stanāntare ||
tato 'sya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ muṣṭideśe sa cicchide ||
dhvajaṃ ca tvaritaṃ chittvā rathād bhūmāv apātayat ||
so 'tividdho mahārāja rathopastha upāviśat ||
taṃ visaṃjñaṃ nipatitaṃ dṛṣṭvā syālaṃ tavānagha ||
apovāha rathenāśu sārathir dhvajinīmukhāt ||
Then, having come to his senses, Nakula, son of Pandu, attacked Saubala again, like Antaka with jaws agape. Enraged, he pierced Shakuni with sixty arrows, O bull among the Bharatas, and again with a hundred iron arrows in the chest. Then he cut his bow together with its arrow at the grip, and swiftly cutting the banner, cast it down from the chariot to the ground. He, grievously pierced, O great king, sank onto the floor of his chariot; seeing him senseless and fallen, your brother-in-law, O sinless one...
d1960e48592a · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
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The wheel of battle turns: scarcely had Shakuni roared over the fallen than he himself sank senseless. It is significant that the instigator of the feud, so skilled in deceit, is struck down in honest combat. The verse teaches that cunning, triumphant at the gaming table, does not avail on the field of war; and he who wove his schemes in shadow proves as vulnerable as anyone in open clash - for there is a truth of battle before which the guile that fed this whole war stands powerless.