Shloka 31
Adhyāya 65: Dawn Assembly, Makara–Śyena Vyūhas, and Commander Engagements
शरैर्बहुभिरानर्च्छत् कृतप्रतिकृतैषिणौ । छाद्यमानौ ततस्तौ तु माद्रीपुत्री न चेलतु:
śarair bahubhir ānarccchat kṛta-pratikṛtaiṣiṇau | chādyamānau tatas tau tu mādrī-putrī na celatuḥ, mahārāja! |
Sañjaya said: O King, then Śalya, intent on repaying the blows dealt to him, struck his two nephews—Nakula and Sahadeva—with many arrows. Though covered and pressed by that shower of shafts, the sons of Mādrī did not waver.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield steadfastness: even when overwhelmed by hostile force, a warrior grounded in duty does not lose composure. It also implicitly contrasts disciplined courage with the impulse of retaliation that drives the exchange of blows.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śalya, seeking to repay earlier strikes, showers Nakula and Sahadeva with many arrows. Despite being covered by the arrow-storm, the two sons of Mādrī remain unmoved and do not falter.