Shloka 4
Kṛṣṇasya asāṃnidhya-kāraṇaṃ — Śālva–Soubha-vṛttāntaḥ
Why Kṛṣṇa was absent; the Śālva and Saubha account
तत्रस्थो5थ महीपालो योधयामास तां पुरीम् । अभिसारेण सर्वेण तत्र युद्धमवर्तत,उसीपर रहकर राजा शाल्व द्वारकापुरीके लोगोंसे युद्ध करता था। वहाँ भारी युद्ध छिड़ा हुआ था और उसमें सभी दिशाओंसे अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंके प्रहार हो रहे थे
tatra-stho 'tha mahīpālo yodhayāmāsa tāṁ purīm | abhisāreṇa sarveṇa tatra yuddham avartata |
وكان الملكُ مرابطًا هناك، ثم شدَّ الهجومَ على تلك المدينة. وباندفاعٍ شاملٍ اندلعت في ذلك الموضع معركةٌ ضارية، إذ كانت الأسلحةُ والمقذوفاتُ تنهال من كلِّ جهة—صورةٌ لاجتياح العنف في الحرب، وللخطر الذي يهبط على مدينةٍ حين تنقلب الطموحاتُ إلى حصار.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how a ruler’s aggressive resolve can engulf an entire city in indiscriminate danger; it implicitly warns that war, once unleashed as a ‘full assault,’ spreads suffering in all directions and tests the boundaries of righteous conduct (dharma) in conflict.
A king, remaining in position, launches a comprehensive assault on a city, and a major battle erupts there, with attacks coming from every side—depicting an intense, all-directional clash typical of a siege or large-scale engagement.