Shloka 45
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
मद्रराजेन बलिना लाघवाच्छरवृश्टिभि: । चाल्यमान तु तं॑ दृष्टवा पाण्डवानां बलार्णवम्
madrarājena balinā lāghavāc charavṛṣṭibhiḥ | cālyamānaṃ tu taṃ dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍavānāṃ balārṇavam ||
Sañjaya sprach: Als er sah, wie der mächtige König von Madra mit flinker Kunst Pfeilschauer herabregnen ließ und damit jenes weite Meer der Pāṇḍava-Heere erschütterte,—
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its battlefield frame: disciplined skill (lāghava) and steadfast leadership can momentarily shake even a vast force; power is shown not only by numbers but by focused prowess and resolve.
Sañjaya describes Śalya, king of Madra, striking with rapid volleys of arrows. His assault causes the immense Pāṇḍava host—likened to an ocean—to waver and be thrown into motion under the pressure of his attack.