Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 2
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
ततः स शरवर्षेण पर्जन्य इव वृष्टिमान् । अभ्यवर्षदमेयात्मा क्षत्रियान् क्षत्रियर्षभ:
tataḥ sa śaravarṣeṇa parjanya iva vṛṣṭimān | abhyavarṣad ameyātmā kṣatriyān kṣatriyarṣabhaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then that bull among kṣatriyas, of immeasurable spirit, rained down a shower of arrows upon the warriors—like a rain-bearing cloud pouring its downpour. The scene underscores the fierce momentum of battle, where martial excellence and resolve surge forward even as the ethical weight of violence remains implicit in the kṣatriya duty of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of kṣatriya prowess—unyielding courage and effectiveness in battle—while implicitly situating such violence within the framework of kṣatriya-dharma (the warrior’s duty), where action is driven by role-bound obligation rather than personal whim.
Sanjaya describes a leading warrior unleashing an intense barrage of arrows on opposing kṣatriyas, compared to a rain-cloud pouring down rain—an image emphasizing overwhelming force and the escalating ferocity of the fight.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.