Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 24

रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield

Devanagari script

प्रयाणे मद्रराजो5भून्मुखं व्यूहस्य दंशित:

Transliteration

prayāṇe madrarājo 'bhūn mukhaṃ vyūhasya daṃśitaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: As the army set forth, the king of Madra became the very front of the battle-array—like a poised, biting fang—taking the lead in the advance and embodying the fierce resolve of the formation.

Word by Word

• प्रयाणे: at the departure/march
• प्रयाणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• मद्रराजः: the king of Madra (Shalya)
• मद्रराजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद्रराज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभूत्: became/was
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Aorist (simple past), 3rd, Singular

• मुखम्: the front/foremost position
• मुखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• व्यूहस्य: of the battle-array/formation
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यूह
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• दंशितः: armed/accoutred (lit. furnished with weapons/armor)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दंशित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Madrarāja (Śalya)
• Madra
• vyūha (battle-array)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of assuming responsibility at the most perilous point: true leadership in war is shown by taking the foremost position, strengthening the army’s morale and giving the formation a decisive, disciplined edge.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the forces move out, Śalya—king of Madra—takes the lead at the front of the Kaurava battle-array. The imagery of a ‘fang’ suggests an aggressive, sharpened vanguard meant to strike first and break the enemy line.