Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 46
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
तावुभौ शरवर्षाभ्यां समासाद्य परस्परम् | परस्परवधे यत्नं चक्रतु: सुमहारथौ
sañjaya uvāca |
tāv ubhau śaravarṣābhyāṃ samāsādya parasparam |
parasparavadhe yatnaṃ cakratuḥ sumahārathau ||
Sañjaya said: Closing in upon one another, those two mighty chariot-warriors met with showers of arrows. Each strove for the other’s death—locked in a relentless duel where prowess and resolve were bent toward mutual destruction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse starkly frames the battlefield ethic of the Kṣatriya world: elite warriors, once engaged, press forward with unwavering resolve, even when the immediate aim becomes the opponent’s death. It highlights how martial duty and personal valor can intensify conflict into a cycle of reciprocal violence, inviting reflection on the moral cost of war.
Sanjaya narrates a close-quarters escalation: two foremost chariot-warriors advance toward each other and exchange dense volleys of arrows. The encounter becomes a direct duel in which both actively attempt to kill the other.
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