Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 2
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! उस सेनाको इस तरह भागती देख प्रतापी मद्रराज शल्यने अपने सारथिसे कहा--'सूत! मेरे महावेगशाली घोड़ोंको शीघ्रतापूर्वक आगे बढ़ाओ ।।
sañjaya uvāca—rājan! tāṃ senām itthaṃ bhāgatīṃ dṛṣṭvā pratāpī madrarājaḥ śalyaḥ svam sārathim uvāca—“sūta! mama mahāvegān aśvān śīghram agre naya. eṣa tiṣṭhati vai rājā pāṇḍuputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ, chatreṇa priyamāṇena pāṇḍureṇa virājatā.”
Sañjaya sprach: „O König, als der tapfere Madra-Herrscher Śalya sah, wie jenes Heer so floh, sagte er zu seinem Wagenlenker: ‚Wagenlenker, treib meine starken, schnellen Pferde sogleich voran. Sieh—dort steht König Yudhishthira, der Sohn Pāṇḍus, strahlend unter dem lieblichen weißen Schirm, der über seinem Haupt gehalten wird.‘“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how royal authority and moral stature are publicly signaled in war: Yudhishthira is identified not only as a target in battle but as a legitimate king marked by the white parasol, a symbol of sovereignty. It also shows decisive leadership—Shalya responds to battlefield momentum by directing immediate action.
As troops are seen fleeing, Shalya, king of Madra, urges his charioteer to drive forward quickly. He points out Yudhishthira standing ahead, distinguished by a beautiful white royal parasol, indicating Yudhishthira’s kingly status and visibility on the battlefield.