Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 6
शल्यवधे कौरवसेनाभङ्गः, भीमस्य गदायुद्धं, दुर्योधनस्य समाह्वानम्
Rout after Śalya’s fall; Bhīma’s mace engagement; Duryodhana’s rally
मद्रराजप्रिये युक्तैर्मद्रकाणां महारथै: । आजगाम ततः: पार्थों गाण्डीवं विक्षिपन् धनु:
madrarājapriye yuktair madrakāṇāṁ mahārathaiḥ | ājagāma tataḥ pārtho gāṇḍīvaṁ vikṣipan dhanuḥ ||
Sañjaya sagte: Dann rückte Pārtha (Arjuna) vor, begleitet von den großen Wagenkämpfern der Madra, die ihrem König ergeben waren; und während er herankam, schwang er seinen Bogen Gāṇḍīva—ein Zeichen von Entschlossenheit und Bereitschaft angesichts der moralischen Last des Kampfes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness in one’s appointed duty amid conflict: disciplined readiness (symbolized by Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva) and the ethical seriousness of war, where loyalty and alliance must still be guided by dharma.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna advances into the fray, accompanied by the Madra king’s favored/loyal great chariot-warriors, while Arjuna brandishes his famed bow Gāṇḍīva as a sign of imminent engagement.