Shloka 83
Śalya–Bhīma Gadāyuddham (मद्रराज-भीमसेन गदायुद्धम्)
केंचुलसे छूटकर निकले हुए सर्पके समान प्रतीत होनेवाली उस शक्तिने शल्यके रथपर पहुँचकर उनके सारथिको मार डाला और उसे रथसे नीचे गिरा दिया ।। ततो विराटद्रुपदौ धृष्टकेतुर्युधिष्ठिर: । सात्यकि: केकया भीमो धृष्टद्युम्मशिखण्डिनौ
keñculase chūṭakara nikale hue sarpake samāna pratīta honevālī us śaktine śalyake rathapara pahuṁcakara unake sārathiko māra ḍālā aura use rathase nīce girā diyā || tato virāṭa-drupadau dhṛṣṭaketuryudhiṣṭhiraḥ | sātyakiḥ kekayā bhīmo dhṛṣṭadyumna-śikhaṇḍinau ||
Sañjaya said: That spear-weapon, seeming like a serpent that has slipped out of its slough, reached Śalya’s chariot, struck down his charioteer, and hurled him from the car. Then Virāṭa and Drupada, Dhṛṣṭaketu and Yudhiṣṭhira, Sātyaki, the Kekayas, Bhīma, and also Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Śikhaṇḍin advanced into the fray.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the swift, impersonal consequences of warfare: a single well-aimed weapon can abruptly end a life and shift the balance of battle. Ethically, it highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya-duty in war and the tragic cost borne even by supporting figures like charioteers.
A spear-weapon, described with a vivid serpent-like simile, strikes Śalya’s chariot and kills his charioteer, causing him to fall. Immediately after, a group of prominent Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors—Virāṭa, Drupada, Dhṛṣṭaketu, Yudhiṣṭhira, Sātyaki, the Kekayas, Bhīma, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Śikhaṇḍin—move forward, indicating a renewed surge in the battle.