Shloka 24
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
तावभ्यधावतां तीक्ष्णौ द्वावप्येनं महारथम् | शरौघान् सम्यगस्यन्तौ जीमूती सलिलं यथा
tāv abhyadhāvatāṁ tīkṣṇau dvāv apy enaṁ mahāratham | śaraughān samyag asyantau jīmūtī salilaṁ yathā ||
Sañjaya sprach: Jene beiden grimmigen Krieger stürmten auf den großen Wagenkämpfer zu und, sicher zielend, überschütteten ihn mit Pfeilsalven—wie zwei Regenwolken, die Wasserströme herabgießen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how disciplined aim (samyak) and coordinated aggression can become overwhelming force; ethically, it reflects the harsh reality of dharma-yuddha where prowess and duty operate within a violent arena, and Sañjaya’s simile frames the act as natural and unstoppable like rain.
Two fierce warriors charge a single great chariot-fighter (contextually Nakula) and shower him with well-aimed volleys of arrows, compared to two clouds pouring down continuous rain.