स हयान् संनिगृह्याजौ स्वयं हयविशारदः ॥
युयुधे रथिनां श्रेष्ठश् चित्रं लघु च सुष्ठु च ॥
तद् अस्यापूजयन् कर्म स्वे परे चैव संयुगे ॥
हतसूतरथेनाजौ व्यचरद् यद् अभीतवत् ॥
सहदेवस् तु तान् अश्वांस् तीक्ष्णैर् बाणैर् अवाकिरत् ॥
पीड्यमानाः शरैश् चाशु प्राद्रवंस् ते ततस् ततः ॥
स रश्मिषु विषक्तत्वाद् उत्ससर्ज शरासनम् ॥
धनुषा कर्म कुर्वंस् तु रश्मीन् स पुनर् उत्सृजत् ॥
sa hayān saṃnigṛhyājau svayaṃ hayaviśāradaḥ ||
yuyudhe rathināṃ śreṣṭhaś citraṃ laghu ca suṣṭhu ca ||
tad asyāpūjayan karma sve pare caiva saṃyuge ||
hatasūtarathenājau vyacarad yad abhītavat ||
sahadevas tu tān aśvāṃs tīkṣṇair bāṇair avākirat ||
pīḍyamānāḥ śaraiś cāśu prādravaṃs te tatas tataḥ ||
sa raśmiṣu viṣaktatvād utsasarja śarāsanam ||
dhanuṣā karma kurvaṃs tu raśmīn sa punar utsṛjat ||
Curbing the horses himself in battle, being skilled with horses, he fought like the best of warriors -- wondrously, nimbly, and well. Both allies and enemies in the fray praised this deed of his: that he roamed about fearlessly on a chariot whose charioteer had been slain. But Sahadeva showered those horses with sharp arrows; harried by the arrows, they quickly scattered everywhere. Duhshasana, entangled in the reins, cast aside the bow; and while working the bow, he dropped the reins again.
df28b303eb42 · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:08:17 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Deprived of his charioteer, Duhshasana both drives and fights at once -- and even his enemies praise his fearlessness. It is telling that his valor is acknowledged even by the opposing side: 'both allies and enemies praised it.' The verse teaches that courage shown in a hopeless situation earns respect even from an enemy; yet no man has two pairs of hands twice over -- dropping the bow for the reins and the reins for the bow, he shows both his daring and the limit of what one man alone can manage in a desperate plight.