Shloka 31
Adhyāya 65: Dawn Assembly, Makara–Śyena Vyūhas, and Commander Engagements
शरैर्बहुभिरानर्च्छत् कृतप्रतिकृतैषिणौ । छाद्यमानौ ततस्तौ तु माद्रीपुत्री न चेलतु:,महाराज! तदनन्तर शल्यने किये हुए प्रहारका बदला चुकानेकी इच्छा रखनेवाले रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ अपने दोनों भानजोंको अनेक बाणोंसे पीड़ित किया। उनके बाणोंसे आच्छादित होनेपर भी नकुल-सहदेव विचलित नहीं हुए
śarair bahubhir ānarccchat kṛta-pratikṛtaiṣiṇau | chādyamānau tatas tau tu mādrī-putrī na celatuḥ, mahārāja! |
Sañjaya sprach: O König, da traf Śalya, entschlossen, die ihm zugefügten Schläge zu vergelten, seine beiden Neffen – Nakula und Sahadeva – mit vielen Pfeilen. Obgleich von diesem Pfeilhagel bedeckt und bedrängt, wankten die Söhne der Mādrī nicht.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield steadfastness: even when overwhelmed by hostile force, a warrior grounded in duty does not lose composure. It also implicitly contrasts disciplined courage with the impulse of retaliation that drives the exchange of blows.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śalya, seeking to repay earlier strikes, showers Nakula and Sahadeva with many arrows. Despite being covered by the arrow-storm, the two sons of Mādrī remain unmoved and do not falter.