Shloka 36
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
तावेन॑ प्रत्यविध्येतां पृथक् पृथगजिह्दगैः
tāvenā pratyavidhyetāṃ pṛthak pṛthag ajihmagaiḥ
Sañjaya sprach: Da schlugen die beiden zurück, ein jeder für sich, mit Pfeilen, die gerade und sicher flogen—ein Schlagabtausch, der zeigte, dass die Schlacht zu einem unerbittlichen Wettstreit von Können und Entschlossenheit geworden war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethic of kṣātra warfare as portrayed in the epic: opponents answer force with force through disciplined skill. It underscores resolve and martial competence, while also implying the tragic momentum of retaliation that sustains the conflict.
Sañjaya narrates that two warriors counter-attack one another, each shooting straight-flying arrows. The focus is on the immediacy of exchange—mutual, individual strikes in the thick of battle.