Shloka 22
Śālva–Pradyumna Yuddha: Sārathya-kauśala, Astra-pratikāra, Daiva-niyati
Chapter 20
ततः शतसहस््राणि शराणां नतपर्वणाम् | चिक्षिपु: समरे वीरा मयि शाल्वपदानुगा:,तदनन्तर शाल्वके अनुगामी वीरोंने युद्धमें मेरे ऊपर झुकी हुई गाँठवाले लाखों बाण बरसाये
tataḥ śatasahasrāṇi śarāṇāṁ nataparvaṇām | cikṣipuḥ samare vīrā mayi śālvapadānugāḥ ||
Daraufhin ließen inmitten der Schlacht die tapferen Krieger, die Śālva folgten, Hunderttausende von Pfeilen auf mich niedergehen—Schäfte mit gekrümmten Knoten—um mich durch schiere Übermacht zu überwältigen.
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension of warfare: devotion or loyalty to a commander (here, Śālva) can fuel extreme aggression, while the dharmic stance requires steadiness under attack and action guided by right purpose rather than rage.
Vāsudeva narrates that Śālva’s followers, fighting in the battlefield, shower him with an immense volley—hundreds of thousands—of arrows described as having bent joints, emphasizing the intensity and scale of the assault.