Shloka 34
देवसत्रे मृत्युनिरोधः, पूर्वेन्द्राणां मानुषावतरणम्, द्रौपदी-वरकथनम्
Suspension of Death at the Devasatra; Former Indras’ Human Descent; Draupadī’s Boon Etiology
तथैव मद्राधिपतिं शल्यं बलवतां वरम् | बलदेवादृते वीरात् पाण्डवाद् वा वृकोदरात्
tathaiva madrādhipatiṁ śalyaṁ balavatāṁ varam | baladevād ṛte vīrāt pāṇḍavād vā vṛkodarāt |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Ebenso—wer könnte im Kampf Śalya, den Herrn von Madra und den Ersten unter den Mächtigen, zu Boden strecken, außer dem heldenhaften Baladeva oder dem Pāṇḍava Vṛkodara (Bhīma)?“ Diese Aussage hebt Śalyas außergewöhnliche kriegerische Größe hervor und deutet an, dass nur ein sehr kleiner Kreis erlesener Helden hoffen dürfte, ihn zu besiegen—und prägt so die ethische Abwägung, ob man eine Konfrontation fortsetzt, deren Chancen gering und deren Blutzoll schwer ist.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how true strength is rare and concentrated in a few exceptional figures; recognizing this reality is part of prudent, dharma-aware decision-making in war, where misjudging an opponent’s prowess can lead to needless destruction.
Vaiśampāyana describes an assessment of Śalya’s battlefield invincibility: only Baladeva or Bhīma (Vṛkodara) is presented as capable of bringing him down, emphasizing Śalya’s status among elite warriors and influencing strategic choices in the surrounding episode.