Shloka 31
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
शल्यमेवाभिदुद्राव जिघांसुर्भरतर्षभ: । अपनी सेनासे घिरे हुए भरतश्रेष्ठ राजा युधिष्ठिरने शल्यको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे उनपर ही आक्रमण किया ।। हार्दिक्यं च महेष्वासमर्जुन: शत्रुसैन्यहा
śalyam evābhidudrāva jighāṁsur bharatarṣabhaḥ | āpnī senā-se ghire hue bharataśreṣṭha rājā yudhiṣṭhir-ne śalya-ko mār ḍālne-kī icchā-se un-par hī ākramaṇ kiyā || hārdikyaṁ ca maheṣvāsam arjunaḥ śatrusainyahā
Sañjaya sprach: Yudhiṣṭhira, der Beste der Bhāratas, obgleich von den eigenen Truppen umringt, stürmte geradewegs auf Śalya los, entschlossen, ihn zu töten. Zur selben Zeit drang Arjuna—Vernichter feindlicher Heere—auf Hārdikya ein, den großen Bogenschützen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a ruler committed to dharma may be forced, by the demands of kṣatriya-duty and the need to protect the larger order, to confront and eliminate a key aggressor in war; ethical restraint does not always mean avoiding action, but choosing decisive action for the sake of ending harm.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira charges directly at Śalya intending to kill him, while Arjuna simultaneously engages Hārdikya (Kṛtavarman), described as a great archer, continuing the intense duels of the Kurukṣetra battle.