Shloka 40
युधिष्ठिरो महेष्वासो मद्रराजानमाहवे । महत्या सेनया गुप्तं पीडयामास संगतम्,महाधनुर्धर युधिष्ठिरने विशाल सेनासे सुरक्षित मद्रराज शल्यको उस युद्धमें सामने पाकर बाणोंद्वारा अत्यन्त पीड़ित कर दिया
yudhiṣṭhiro maheṣvāso madrarājānam āhave | mahatyā senayā guptaṃ pīḍayāmāsa saṅgatam ||
Sañjaya said: Yudhiṣṭhira, the mighty archer, finding King Śalya of Madra in the thick of battle—well-protected by a great host—pressed him hard when they came face to face, tormenting him with a shower of arrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between personal restraint and kṣatriya-dharma: even a ruler devoted to righteousness must act firmly in a just war, confronting protected and powerful opponents without hesitation.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira meets King Śalya of Madra in direct combat; though Śalya is shielded by a large army, Yudhiṣṭhira engages him closely and harasses him intensely with arrows.