शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
स शत्रुभुजनिर्मुक्तिर्ललाटस्थैस्त्रिभि: शरै:
sa śatrubhuja-nirmuktir lalāṭasthaiḥ tribhiḥ śaraiḥ
সঞ্জয় বললেন—ললাটে গাঁথা সেই তিন বাণের ফলে সে শত্রুর বাহুবন্ধন থেকে মুক্ত হল।
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the harsh moral landscape of war: ‘release’ or ‘deliverance’ may occur through injury inflicted in battle, reflecting the grim reality of kṣatriya-dharma where protection, survival, and victory often come through force rather than compassion.
Sañjaya describes a warrior being freed from an enemy’s overpowering hold, with the detail that three arrows are lodged in his forehead—an image emphasizing both the immediacy of combat and the violent means by which the situation turns.