Adhyaya 13

Verse 1

नशा (0) उस औअन+- त्रयोदशो 5 ध्याय: मद्रराज शल्यका अद्भुत पराक्रम संजय उवाच पीडिते धर्मराजे तु मद्रराजेन मारिष | सात्यकिर्भीमसेनश्व माद्रीपुत्री च पाण्डवी

Sanjaya said: When King Dharmaraja (Yudhishthira) was being hard-pressed by the king of Madra, O revered one, Satyaki and Bhimasena, and the Pandava princess—the daughter of Madri—also (came forward/acted in response).

Verse 2

परिवार्य रथै: शल्यं पीडयामासुराहवे । संजय कहते हैं--आर्य! जब मद्रराज शल्य धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरको पीड़ा देने लगे, तब सात्यकि, भीमसेन और माद्रीपुत्र पाण्डव नकुल-सहदेवने युद्धस्थलमें शल्यको रथोंद्वारा घेरकर उन्हें पीड़ा देना प्रारम्भ किया ।।

Sañjaya said: In the midst of battle, surrounding Śalya with their chariots, they began to press him hard. Seeing Śalya alone being harried by many great chariot-warriors, people on all sides broke into loud acclaim; and the assembled Siddhas and great seers, filled with joy, cried out, “Wonderful!” The scene underscores how collective effort and steadfast resistance are praised in war, even as the narrative keeps the ethical tension of many attacking one renowned hero.

Verse 3

साधुवादो महाउ्जज्ञे सिद्धाश्चासन्‌ प्रहर्षिता: । आश्षर्यमित्यभाषन्त मुनयश्लञापि सड्रता:

Sañjaya said: As Śalya stood alone, harried and wounded by many great chariot-warriors, a mighty chorus of acclaim rose from all sides. The Siddhas and the assembled sages, filled with exhilaration, cried out, “How wondrous!”—marvelling at the extraordinary prowess displayed amid the grim ethics of battlefield fame and endurance.

Verse 4

भीमसेनो रणे शल्यं शल्यभूतं पराक्रमे । एकेन विद्ध्वा बाणेन पुनर्विव्याध सप्तभि:,भीमसेनने रणभूमिमें अपने पराक्रमके लिये कण्टकरूप शल्यको पहले एक बाणसे घायल करके फिर सात बाणोंसे बींध डाला

Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, Bhīmasena struck Śalya—who had become a thorn to his prowess—with a single arrow, and then pierced him again with seven more. The verse underscores the warrior’s resolve to neutralize a formidable obstacle on the battlefield, where courage and skill are tested amid the harsh demands of kṣatriya-duty.

Verse 5

सात्यकिश्न शतेनैनं धर्मपुत्रपरीप्सया । मद्रेश्वरमवाकीर्य सिंहनादमथानदत्‌,सात्यकि भी धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरकी रक्षाके लिये मद्रराजको सौ बाणोंसे आच्छादित करके सिंहके समान दहाड़ने लगे

Sanjaya said: Seeking to protect Dharmaputra (Yudhi63hira), S
01tyaki showered the lord of Madra with a hundred arrows, and then roared a lion-like battle-cry. The act is framed as loyal guardianship: in the chaos of war, S
01tyaki asserts his duty to shield the righteous king by forceful, disciplined valor.

Verse 6

नकुल: पज्चभिश्लैनं सहदेवश्व॒ पञ्चभि: । विद्ध्वा तं तु पुनस्तूर्ण ततो विव्याध सप्तभि:

Sañjaya said: Nakula struck him with five arrows, and Sahadeva too with five. Having thus pierced him, they again, in swift succession, wounded him further—then with seven more arrows—pressing the attack without pause amid the fury of battle.

Verse 7

नकुल और सहदेवने पाँच-पाँच बाणोंसे शल्यको घायल करके फिर सात बाणोंसे उन्हें तुरंत ही बींध डाला ।। स तु शूरो रणे यत्त: पीडितस्तैर्महारथै: । विकृष्य कार्मुकं घोरं वेगघ्नं भारसाधनम्‌

Sañjaya said: Nakula and Sahadeva struck Śalya, wounding him with five arrows each; then, with seven more shafts, they swiftly pierced him again. Yet that heroic warrior, fully intent upon the battle and pressed hard by those great chariot-fighters, drew his dreadful bow—an instrument that checks the enemy’s onrush and bears the heavy strain of war—ready to answer their assault.

Verse 8

सात्यकिं पञ्चविंशत्या शल्यो विव्याध मारिष । भीमसेनं तु सप्तत्या नकुलं सप्तभिस्तथा

Sañjaya said: O revered one, Śalya struck Sātyaki with twenty-five arrows; Bhīmasena with seventy; and Nakula likewise with seven. The verse underscores the relentless arithmetic of battle—valor measured in endurance and restraint amid escalating violence.

Verse 9

माननीय नरेश! समरांगणमें शूरवीर शल्यने उन महारथियोंद्वारा पीड़ित होनेपर भी विजयके लिये यत्नशील हो भार सहन करनेमें समर्थ और शत्रुके वेगका नाश करनेवाले एक भयंकर धनुषको खींचकर सात्यकिको पचीस, भीमसेनको सत्तर और नकुलको सात बाण मारे ।।

Sanjaya said: O venerable king, on the battlefield the heroic Shalya, though hard-pressed by those great chariot-warriors, strove for victory. Able to endure the burden and to break the enemybcs momentum, he drew his dreadful bow and struck Satyaki with twenty-five arrows, Bhimasena with seventy, and Nakula with seven. Then, in that fight, cutting with a bhalla-arrow the bow of the archer Sahadeva together with its fitted arrow, Shalya pierced him with twenty-one shafts. The passage highlights relentless martial resolve and the grim efficiency of war, where prowess is measured by control, endurance, and the capacity to disable an opponentbcs means of resistance.

Verse 10

सहदेवस्तु समरे मातुल॑ भूरिवर्चसम्‌ | सज्यमन्यद्‌ धनु: कृत्वा पजचभि: समताडयत्‌

Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, Sahadeva confronted his maternal uncle, the radiant and formidable warrior. Stringing another bow, he struck him repeatedly with five well-aimed arrows—an act that underscores the grim duty of war, where even kinship yields to the demands of one’s chosen side and martial obligation.

Verse 11

सारथिं चास्य समरे शरेणानतपर्वणा

Sañjaya reports that, in the midst of battle, his charioteer too was struck by an arrow whose joints were unheated—an image that underscores the ruthless precision of war, where even those who merely guide and serve are not spared its violence.

Verse 12

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत शल्यपर्वमें संकुलयुद्धाविषयक बारहवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,भीमसेनस्तु सप्तत्या सात्यकिर्नवभि: शरै:

Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Śalya Parva, the twelfth chapter dealing with the confusion and tumult of battle comes to its close. In that same clash, Bhīmasena was struck with seventy arrows, and Sātyaki with nine—an image of the war’s relentless violence, where even the foremost warriors endure suffering amid the moral darkness of fratricidal conflict.

Verse 13

तत: शल्यो महाराज निर्विद्धस्तैर्महारथै:,इति श्रीमहाभारते शल्यपर्वणि शल्ययुद्धे त्रयोदशो5ध्याय:

Sañjaya said: Then Śalya, O great king, was pierced and struck by those great chariot-warriors. Thus ends the thirteenth chapter of the Śalya Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, in the section describing the battle with Śalya—marking a grim turn in the war where even the foremost heroes are brought down by concentrated martial force.

Verse 14

सुस्त्राव रुधिरं गात्रैगैरिकं पर्वतो यथा । महाराज! उन महारथियोंद्वारा अत्यन्त घायल कर दिये जानेपर राजा शल्य अपने अंगोंसे रक्तकी धारा बहाने लगे, मानो पर्वत गेरु-मिश्रित जलका झरना बहा रहा हो ।।

Sañjaya said: “O great king, when those mighty chariot-warriors had grievously wounded him, King Śalya began to pour forth streams of blood from his limbs—like a mountain releasing a cascade of water tinged with red ochre.” The image underscores the brutal cost of war: prowess and rank do not shield one from the bodily consequence of violence, and the battlefield reduces even kings to suffering flesh.

Verse 15

विव्याध तरसा राजंस्तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्‌ । राजन! उन्होंने उन सभी महाधनुर्धरोंको पाँच-पाँच बाणोंसे वेगपूर्वक घायल कर दिया। वह उनके द्वारा अद्भुत-सा कार्य हुआ ।। १४ * ततो<5परेण भल्‍ल्लेन धर्मपुत्रस्य मारिष

Sañjaya said: “O King, with swift force he pierced them; it seemed almost wondrous. In the very midst of battle he struck those great bowmen, five arrows to each, with surging speed—an act that appeared extraordinary.”

Verse 16

अथान्यद्‌ धनुरादाय धर्मपुत्रो युधिष्ठिर:

Sañjaya said: Then Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira, taking up another bow, prepared to continue the fight—signaling steadfast resolve to uphold his duty even amid the strain and reversals of war.

Verse 17

स च्छाद्यमान: समरे धर्मपुत्रस्य सायकै:

And he, in the midst of battle, was being covered—overwhelmed on all sides—by the arrows of Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira), as Sañjaya narrates the relentless pressure of righteous force within the brutal ethics of war.

Verse 18

सात्यकिस्तु ततः क्रुद्धो धर्मपुत्रे शरारदिते

Sañjaya said: Then Sātyaki, enraged, saw Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira) struck and pained by arrows—an incident that intensifies the moral urgency of protecting the righteous leader amid the chaos of war.

Verse 19

स सात्यके: प्रचिच्छेद क्षुरप्रेण महद्‌ धनु:

Sañjaya said: With a razor-edged arrow, he cut down Sātyaki’s great bow—an act that, in the brutal ethics of battlefield skill, aims to disarm rather than merely wound, shifting the contest from personal injury to the stripping away of a warrior’s means of resistance.

Verse 20

तस्य क्रुद्धो महाराज सात्यकि: सत्यविक्रम:

Sañjaya said: O King, Sātyaki—true in valor—became enraged at him. The line signals a moral turning-point common in the war narrative: righteous warriors, when provoked by perceived wrongdoing or insult, allow wrath to rise, and that anger becomes the immediate fuel for violent action on the battlefield.

Verse 21

भीमसेनो<5थ नाराचं ज्वलन्तमिव पन्नगम्‌

Sanjaya said: Then Bhimasena launched a barbed arrow, blazing like a serpent of fire. Nakula, on the battlefield, hurled a spear at Shalya. Sahadeva sent forth a splendid mace. And King Yudhishthira, intent on slaying Shalya, struck at him in the field with a shataghnī. The scene shows the Pandavas’ coordinated assault, driven by resolve and the grim duty of war, where intention (to end a dangerous foe) and means (weapons and discipline) converge amid the ethical weight of battle.

Verse 22

नकुल: समरे शक्ति सहदेवो गदां शुभाम्‌ | धर्मराज: शतघ्नीं च जिघांसु: शल्यमाहवे

Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, Nakula hurled a spear; Sahadeva launched a splendid mace; and Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira, intent on slaying Śalya in the fight, struck at him with a śataghnī. Bhīmasena, like a blazing serpent, sent forth sharp arrows. Thus the Pāṇḍavas, each with his chosen weapon, pressed their righteous resolve into action amid the harsh demands of war.

Verse 23

तानापतत एवाशु पज्चानां वै भुजच्युतान्‌ । वारयामास समरे शस्त्रसड्घै: स मद्रराट्‌

Sañjaya said: As those missiles, released from the hands of the five warriors, came rushing in, the king of Madra, Śalya, swiftly checked them on the battlefield with volleys of his own weapons—showing the hard discipline of war where alertness and countermeasure decide life and death.

Verse 24

सात्यकिप्रहितं शल्यो भल्‍्लैश्वचिच्छेद तोमरम्‌ । प्रहितं भीमसेनेन शरं कनकभूषणम्‌

Sañjaya said: Śalya, with sharp barbed arrows, cut down the javelin that had been hurled by Sātyaki; and he also severed the gold-adorned arrow that had been shot by Bhīmasena. The scene underscores the relentless skill of warriors in battle—where courage must be matched by alertness and mastery, and where intent alone does not guarantee success amid the chaos of war.

Verse 25

नकुलप्रेषितां शक्ति हेमदण्डां भयावहाम्‌

Sañjaya said: “The dreadful spear, with its golden shaft, which had been hurled by Nakula…”

Verse 26

गदां च सहदेवेन शरौघै: समवारयत्‌ | इसी प्रकार उन्होंने नकुलकी चलायी हुई स्वर्ण-दण्ड-विभूषित भयंकर शक्तिका तथा सहदेवकी फेंकी हुई गदाका भी अपने बाणसमूहोंद्वारा निवारण कर दिया ।।

Sañjaya said: With a dense volley of arrows he checked even the mace hurled by Sahadeva. And with two arrows, O Bhārata, he cut down that śataghni weapon belonging to the king—thus displaying the ruthless precision of battle where skill and resolve decide the fate of even the most fearsome missiles.

Verse 27

नामृष्यत्तत्र शैनेय: शत्रोर्विजयमाहवे

Sañjaya said: There, Śaineya (Sātyaki) could not endure the enemy’s triumph in the battle. Seized by anger, he took up another bow in his hand; with two arrows he wounded the king of Madra, and with three more he pierced the king’s charioteer. The episode underscores how, in the press of war, wounded pride and rage can drive swift retaliatory violence, tightening the cycle of escalation on the battlefield.

Verse 28

अथान्यद्‌ धनुरादाय सात्यकि: क्रोधमूर्च्छित: । द्वाभ्यां मद्रेश्वरं विदृध्वा सारथिं च त्रिभि: शरै:

Sañjaya said: Then Sātyaki, overcome by a surge of wrath, took up another bow. With two arrows he struck the lord of Madra, and with three more shafts he pierced the charioteer as well—unable to endure the enemy’s momentary triumph in the battle.

Verse 29

ततः शल्यो रणे राजन्‌ सर्वास्तान्‌ दशभि: शरै: | विव्याध भृशसंक्रुद्धस्तोत्रिरिव महाद्विपान्‌

Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Śalya—fiercely enraged in the midst of battle—pierced all those warriors with ten arrows each, like a mahout striking great elephants with a goad. The verse underscores how wrath in war sharpens violence into methodical, repeated injury, turning skill into relentless harm.

Verse 30

ते वार्यमाणा: समरे मद्रराज्ञा महारथा: । न शेकुः सम्मुखे स्थातुं तस्य शत्रुनिष्दना:

Sañjaya said: Though those great chariot-warriors were being checked on the battlefield by the king of Madra, they could not stand facing him; for he was a destroyer of foes. The verse underscores how, in war, sheer prowess and steadfastness can break an opponent’s resolve even before weapons decide the outcome.

Verse 31

समरांगणमें मद्रराज शल्यके द्वारा इस प्रकार रोके जाते हुए शत्रुसूदन पाण्डव-महारथी उनके सामने ठहर न सके ।।

Then King Duryodhana, seeing Śalya’s prowess on the battlefield, convinced himself that the Pāṇḍavas—along with the Pāñcālas and the Sṛñjayas—had been slain. The verse highlights how the spectacle of martial success can cloud judgment, turning hope and pride into premature certainty amid the moral chaos of war.

Verse 32

ततो राजन्‌ महाबाहुर्भीमसेन: प्रतापवान्‌ | संत्यज्य मनसा प्राणान्‌ मद्राधिपमयोधयत्‌

Sañjaya said: Then, O King, the mighty-armed and valiant Bhīmasena—having, in his mind, renounced even his own life—engaged the lord of Madra in battle. The verse underscores a warrior’s grim resolve in war: a willingness to risk everything for one’s side and duty, even as such single-minded ferocity intensifies the moral weight of the conflict.

Verse 33

राजन! तदनन्तर प्रतापी महाबाहु भीमसेन मनसे प्राणोंका मोह छोड़कर मद्रराज शल्यके साथ युद्ध करने लगे ।।

Sanjaya said: O King, thereafter the mighty, great-armed Bhimasena—casting off the delusion that had seized his very life-breath—engaged in battle with Shalya, the king of Madra. Nakula, Sahadeva, and the great chariot-warrior Satyaki also surrounded Shalya at that time and began to shower him with arrows from all sides. The passage highlights the ethical resolve to overcome inner confusion and act decisively in the grim duties of war.

Verse 34

स चतुर्भिमिहेष्वासै: पाण्डवानां महारथै: । वृतस्तान्‌ योधयामास मद्रराज: प्रतापवान्‌,इन चार महाधनुर्धर पाण्डवपक्षके महारथियोंसे घिरे हुए प्रतापी मद्रराज शल्य उन सबके साथ युद्ध कर रहे थे

Sañjaya said: Surrounded here by four great bowmen—mighty chariot-warriors of the Pāṇḍavas—the valiant king of Madra, Śalya, engaged them all in battle. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of war, where personal prowess and royal duty drive combat even amid overwhelming opposition.

Verse 35

तस्य धर्मसुतो राजन क्षुरप्रेण महाहवे | चक्ररक्ष॑ं जघानाशु मद्रराजस्य पार्थिव:,राजन! उन महासमरमें धर्मपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिरने एक क्षुरप्रद्वारा मद्रराज शल्यके चक्ररक्षकको शीघ्र ही मार डाला

Sañjaya said: O King, in that great battle Dharmasuta Yudhiṣṭhira swiftly struck down, with a razor-edged arrow, the wheel-guard of Śalya, the king of Madra. The episode underscores how even the dharma-minded king, when bound by the duty of war, acts with decisive force against those who protect an adharma-aligned cause.

Verse 36

तस्मिंस्तु निहते शूरे चक्ररक्षे महारथे । मद्रराजो5पि बलवान्‌ सैनिकानावृणोच्छरै:,अपने महारथी शूरवीर चक्ररक्षकके मारे जानेपर बलवान मद्रराजने भी बाणोंद्वारा शत्रुपक्षके समस्त योद्धाओंको आच्छादित कर दिया

Sañjaya said: When that heroic great chariot-warrior—the protector of the wheel-formation—had been slain, the mighty king of Madra, too, covered the opposing host of warriors with a dense shower of arrows. The scene underscores how, in the momentum of battle, the fall of a key defender immediately provokes a forceful counter-response to restore tactical balance and uphold the duty of one’s side.

Verse 37

समावृतांस्ततस्तांस्तु राजन्‌ वीक्ष्य स्वसैनिकान्‌ | चिन्तयामास समरे धर्मपुत्रो युधिष्ठिर:

Sañjaya said: Then, O King, seeing his own troops on the battlefield covered over with arrows, Yudhiṣṭhira—the son of Dharma—began to reflect inwardly, weighed down by concern amid the clash of war.

Verse 38

कथं नु समरे शक्‍्यं तन्‍्माधववचो महत्‌ | न हि क्रुद्धो रणे राजा क्षपयेत बल॑ मम

Sañjaya said: “How, in the midst of battle, can that great pronouncement spoken by Mādhava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) be brought to fulfillment? For if King Śalya, enraged on the battlefield, were to strike without restraint, he could annihilate my entire force.”

Verse 39

(अहं मद्भ्रातरश्नैव सात्यकिश्न महारथ: । पज्चाला: सृञ्जयाश्वैव न शक्ता: सम हि मद्रपम्‌ ।।

Sañjaya said: “I, my brothers, and the great chariot-warrior Sātyaki—together with the Pāñcālas and the Sṛñjayas—are not able to match the king of Madra in battle. It seems this mighty maternal uncle will slay us today. Then how will Govinda’s statement—‘Śalya will be slain by my hand’—prove true? What is this?” Thereupon the Pāṇḍavas, with their chariots and elephants, closed in upon the king of Madra, pressing him from every side.

Verse 40

पाण्डुके बड़े भाई महाराज धुृतराष्ट्र! तदनन्तर रथ, हाथी और घोड़ोंसहित समस्त पाण्डवयोद्धा मद्रराज शल्यको सब ओरसे पीड़ा देते हुए उनपर चढ़ आये ।।

Sañjaya said: “O great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, elder brother of Pāṇḍu! Thereafter all the Pāṇḍava warriors—together with chariots, elephants, and horses—closed in on Śalya, the king of Madra, pressing him from every side. In the battle the king (Śalya) scattered the rising storm of weapons—dense with torrents of varied arms—like a powerful wind dispersing a mass of clouds.”

Verse 41

जैसे वायु बड़े-बड़े बादलोंको उड़ा देती है, उसी प्रकार समरांगणमें राजा शल्यने अनेक प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंसे परिपूर्ण उस उमड़ी हुई शस्त्रवर्षाको छिन्न-भिन्न कर डाला ।।

Sanjaya said: Thereafter we beheld the shower of arrows—golden-feathered and hurled by King Śalya—rising into the sky and spreading out like a vast swarm of locusts. In the moral atmosphere of the war, the image underscores how martial prowess can overwhelm even a formidable assault, turning the battlefield into a spectacle of relentless, impersonal force rather than personal enmity.

Verse 42

ते शरा मद्रराजेन प्रेषिता रणमूर्थनि । सम्पतन्तः सम दृश्यन्ते शलभानां व्रजा इव,युद्धके मुहानेपर मद्रराजके चलाये हुए वे बाण शलभसमूहोंके समान गिरते दिखायी देते थे

Sañjaya said: On the very forefront of the battlefield, the arrows discharged by the king of Madra came down in such dense succession that they looked like swarms of locusts. The image underscores the overwhelming force of martial skill in war—where prowess can turn the field into a storm of death, pressing the listener to reflect on the grave ethical weight of violence even when performed as a warrior’s duty.

Verse 43

मद्रराजधनुर्मुक्ता: शरै: कनकभूषणै: । निरन्तरमिवाकाशं सम्बभूव जनाधिप,नरेश्वर! मद्रराज शल्यके धनुषसे छूटे हुए उन सुवर्णभूषित बाणोंसे आकाश ठसाठस भर गया था

Sañjaya said: O lord of men, O king, the sky seemed to become unbrokenly filled as the Madra king Śalya loosed a continuous stream of arrows from his bow—arrows adorned with gold. The verse underscores the overwhelming force of martial skill in war, where prowess and display of power can eclipse restraint, even as the larger dharmic tragedy of fratricidal conflict continues to unfold.

Verse 44

न पाण्डवानां नास्माकं तत्र किज्चिद्‌ व्यदृश्यत | बाणान्धकारे महति कृते तत्र महाहवे,उस महायुद्धमें बाणोंद्वारा महान्‌ अन्धकार छा गया, जिससे वहाँ हमारी और पाण्डवोंकी कोई भी वस्तु दिखायी नहीं देती थी

Sañjaya said: In that great battle, when a vast darkness was created by the shower of arrows, nothing at all could be seen there—neither of the Pāṇḍavas’ forces nor ours. The scene conveys how war’s violence can eclipse discernment itself, reducing even mighty armies to confusion and blindness.

Verse 45

मद्रराजेन बलिना लाघवाच्छरवृश्टिभि: । चाल्यमान तु तं॑ दृष्टवा पाण्डवानां बलार्णवम्‌

Sañjaya said: Seeing that vast ocean of the Pāṇḍavas’ forces being shaken by the mighty king of Madra—who, with swift skill, poured down showers of arrows—(the warriors reacted accordingly in the battle).

Verse 46

स तु तान्‌ सर्वतो यत्तान्‌ शरै: संछाद्य मारिष

Sañjaya said: But he, O venerable one, covered them—who were pressed in from every side—with a shower of arrows. The line underscores the relentless mechanics of battle: when warriors are hemmed in, skill and force are used not to restore balance but to overwhelm, revealing how war turns human agency into a contest of domination rather than dharmic restraint.

Verse 47

ते च्छन्ना: समरे तेन पाण्डवानां महारथा:

Sañjaya said: In that battle, those great chariot-warriors of the Pāṇḍavas were overwhelmed and covered over by him—pressed hard amid the clash of arms, as the tide of war turned under his assault.

Verse 48

धर्मराजपुरोगास्तु भीमसेनमुखा रथा: । न जहु: समरे शूरं शल्यमाहवशोभिनम्‌,तो भी धर्मराजको आगे रखकर भीमसेन आदि रथी संग्राममें शोभा पानेवाले शूरवीर शल्यको वहाँ छोड़कर पीछे न हटे

Sañjaya said: With Dharmarāja placed at their head, and with Bhīmasena foremost among them, the chariot-warriors did not abandon in the battle that heroic Śalya, who shone in the clash of arms. Even under the pressure of war, they did not turn back leaving him behind—steadfast in resolve and duty amid the turmoil of combat.

Verse 103

शरैराशीविषाकारैज्वलज्ज्वलनसंनिभै: । तब सहदेवने संग्राममें दूसरे धनुषपर प्रत्यंचा चढ़ाकर अपने अत्यन्त तेजस्वी मामाको विषधर सर्पोंके समान भयंकर और जलती हुई आगके समान प्रज्वलित पाँच बाणोंद्वारा घायल कर दिया

Sanjaya said: Then, in the thick of battle, Sahadeva—stringing the bow anew—struck my exceedingly valiant warrior with five arrows, dreadful like venomous serpents and blazing like fire. The scene underscores how, in war, even righteous fighters employ terrifying force to fulfill their duty, while the horror of violence remains unmistakable.

Verse 116

विव्याध भृशसंक्रुद्धस्तं वै भूयस्त्रिभि: शरै: । साथ ही अत्यन्त कुपित होकर उन्होंने झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणसे उनके सारथिको भी पीट दिया और उन्हें भी पुनः तीन बाणोंसे घायल किया

Sañjaya said: In fierce anger, he pierced that man again with three arrows. In the same surge of wrath, he also struck the opponent’s charioteer with bent-knotted shafts and wounded him too once more with three arrows—showing how, in the heat of battle, rage drives warriors to extend violence beyond the principal foe to those who support him.

Verse 153

धनुश्विच्छेद समरे सज्यं स सुमहारथ: । मान्यवर! तदनन्तर उन श्रेष्ठ महारथी शल्यने समरांगणमें एक दूसरे भल्लके द्वारा धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरके प्रत्यंचासहित धनुषको काट डाला

Sanjaya said: In that battle of severing bows, the great chariot-warrior kept his bow strung. Then, O revered one, immediately afterward the foremost warrior Shalya, on the battlefield, with another sharp arrow, cut down Dharmaputra Yudhishthira’s bow together with its bowstring. The episode underscores the ruthless precision of war, where even a righteous king’s weapons are targeted, testing steadiness and restraint amid violence.

Verse 166

साश्व॒सूतध्वजरथं शल्यं प्राच्छादयच्छरै: । तब धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरने दूसरा धनुष हाथमें लेकर घोड़े, सारथि, ध्वज और रथसहित शल्यको अपने बाणोंसे आच्छादित कर दिया

Sañjaya said: Then Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira, taking up another bow, covered Śalya with a shower of arrows—along with his horses, charioteer, banner, and chariot—pressing the battle in a manner befitting a king who must uphold duty even amid the harsh necessities of war.

Verse 173

युधिष्ठिरमथाविध्यद्‌ दशभिर्निशितै: शरै: । समरांगणमें धर्मपुत्रके बाणोंसे आच्छादित होते हुए शल्यने युधिष्ठिरको दस पैने बाणोंसे बींध डाला

Sañjaya said: Then Śalya struck Yudhiṣṭhira with ten keen arrows. Even as the son of Dharma was covering the battlefield with his own shafts, Śalya pierced him—an image of relentless martial resolve where righteous kingship must endure injury without abandoning steadiness or duty.

Verse 186

मद्राणामधिपं शूरं शरैर्विव्याध पञ्चभि: । जब धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिर शल्यके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हो गये, तब क्रोधमें भरे हुए सात्यकिने शूरवीर मद्रराजपर पाँच बाणोंका प्रहार किया

Sañjaya said: Then Sātyaki, inflamed with wrath when Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Dharma, had been tormented by Śalya’s arrows, struck the heroic lord of the Madrakas with five shafts. The episode underscores how, amid the chaos of war, loyalty to one’s ally and the impulse to protect the righteous can surge into anger, driving swift retaliatory action.

Verse 196

भीमसेनमुखांस्तांश्न त्रिभिस्त्रेभिरताडयत्‌ । यह देख शल्यने एक क्षुरप्रसे सात्यकिके विशाल धनुषको काट दिया और भीमसेन आदिको भी तीन-तीन बाणोंसे चोट पहुँचायी

Sañjaya said: Seeing this, Śalya struck Bhīmasena and the other foremost warriors, each with three arrows. In the same exchange he also severed Sātyaki’s broad bow with a razor-headed shaft—an act that displays the ruthless precision of battlefield skill, where disabling an opponent’s weapon is as decisive as wounding the warrior himself.

Verse 206

तोमर प्रेषयामास स्वर्णदण्डं महाधनम्‌ । महाराज! तब सत्यपराक्रमी सात्यकिने कुपित हो शल्यपर सुवर्णमय दण्डसे विभूषित एक बहुमूल्य तोमरका प्रहार किया

Sañjaya said: O King, then Śalyaputra, famed for true valor, enraged at Sātyaki, hurled a highly valuable javelin whose shaft was of gold. The episode underscores how wrath on the battlefield drives men to ever more lethal acts, eclipsing restraint and ethical deliberation amid the compulsions of war.

Verse 243

द्विधा चिच्छेद समरे कृतहस्त: प्रतापवान्‌ | सिद्धहस्त एवं प्रतापी वीर शल्यने अपने भल्लोंद्वारा सात्यकिके चलाये हुए तोमरके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर डाले और भीमसेनके छोड़े हुए सुवर्णभूषित बाणके दो खण्ड कर डाले

Sanjaya said: In the thick of battle, the mighty and highly skilled hero Shalya, whose hand never failed, cut in two. With his well-aimed shafts he shattered into fragments the javelin hurled by Satyaki, and he also split into two the gold-adorned arrow released by Bhimasena. The scene underscores how mastery in arms, when yoked to relentless warfare, can neutralize even the fiercest assaults—raising the ethical tension between valor as a warrior’s duty and the tragic cost of martial excellence.

Verse 263

पश्यतां पाण्डुपुत्राणां सिंहनादं ननाद च । भारत! फिर शल्यने दो बाणोंसे राजा युधिष्ठिरकी उस शतघ्नीको भी पाण्डवोंके देखते-देखते काट डाला और सिंहके समान दहाड़ना आरम्भ किया

Sañjaya said: While the sons of Pāṇḍu looked on, he let out a lion-like roar—an act meant to proclaim dominance and intimidate the opposing warriors in the midst of battle.

Verse 456

विस्मयं परमं जम्मुर्देवगन्धर्वदानवा: । बलवान मद्रराजके द्वारा शीघ्रतापूर्वक की जानेवाली उस बाण-वर्षसि पाण्डवोंके उस सैन्यसमुद्रको विचलित होते देख देवता, गन्धर्व और दानव अत्यन्त आश्चर्यमें पड़ गये

Sañjaya said: The gods, Gandharvas, and Dānavas were struck with the greatest amazement when they saw the vast ocean-like army of the Pāṇḍavas thrown into confusion by the mighty king of Madra, who unleashed a swift and relentless shower of arrows. The scene underscores how, in war, even a single commander’s concentrated prowess can shake an entire host, drawing the attention of celestial witnesses to the terrifying momentum of adharma-driven violence and the fragile order of the battlefield.

Verse 463

धर्मराजमवच्छाद्य सिंहवद्‌ व्यनदन्मुहु: । मान्यवर! विजयके लिये प्रयत्न करनेवाले उन समस्त योद्धाओंको सब ओरसे बाणोंद्वारा आच्छादित करके शल्य धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरको भी ढककर बारंबार सिंहके समान गर्जना करने लगे

Sañjaya said: Having covered Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) on all sides with a shower of arrows, Śalya—striving for victory along with the warriors engaged in that effort—repeatedly roared like a lion. The scene underscores the ferocity of battle, where even the righteous king is momentarily overwhelmed by force, while the combatants’ pursuit of victory drives them to relentless aggression.

Verse 476

नाशवनुवंस्तदा युद्धे प्रत्युद्यातुं महारथम्‌ । समरांगणमें उनके बाणोंसे आच्छादित हुए पाण्डवोंके महारथी उस युद्धमें महारथी शल्यकी ओर आगे बढ़नेमें समर्थ न हो सके

Sanjaya said: Then, in that battle, the great chariot-warriors of the Pāṇḍavas—covered and overwhelmed by Śalya’s arrows on the field of combat—were unable to advance to meet that great warrior. The verse underscores how sheer martial force and tactical superiority can momentarily check even renowned heroes, reminding the listener that valor must be joined with prudence and coordinated action in war.

Verse 1236

धर्मराजस्तथा षष्ट्या गात्रे शल्यं समार्पयत्‌ । तत्पश्चात्‌ भीमसेनने सत्तर, सात्यकिने नौ और धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरने साठ बाणोंसे शल्यके शरीरको चोट पहुँचायी

Sanjaya said: King Yudhiṣṭhira struck Śalya’s body with sixty arrows. After that, Bhīmasena wounded him with seventy, Sātyaki with nine, and Yudhiṣṭhira again with sixty arrows. In the grim discipline of battle, the Pāṇḍavas press their assault with measured resolve, subordinating personal emotion to the harsh demands of duty in war.