Shloka 43
शैनेयचरितम्
The Exploits of Śaineya/Sātyaki amid Encirclement
विन्दानुविन्दावावन्त्यौ विराट मत्स्यमार्च्छताम् । प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा महेष्वासौ मित्रार्थे भ्युद्यतायुधौ,अवन्तीके राजकुमार विन्द और अनुविन्दने मत्स्य-नरेश विराटपर आक्रमण किया। उन दोनों महाधनुर्धर वीरोंने प्राणोंका मोह छोड़कर अपने मित्र दुर्योधनके लिये हथियार उठाया था
sañjaya uvāca |
vindānuvindāv āvantyau virāṭa-matsyam ārcchatām |
prāṇāṁs tyaktvā maheṣvāsau mitrārthe bhyudyatāyudhau ||
Sañjaya said: The Avanti princes Vindā and Anuvindā advanced against Virāṭa, the king of the Matsyas. Those mighty bowmen, casting aside concern for their own lives, took up their weapons for the sake of their friend—Duryodhana—showing how loyalty in war can harden into a resolve that risks eclipsing prudence and dharmic restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power and peril of loyalty: devotion to a friend can inspire heroic self-sacrifice, yet in the context of war it also raises ethical tension—whether personal bonds should override broader dharmic considerations and the consequences of violence.
Sañjaya reports that the Avanti princes Vindā and Anuvindā move to engage (and effectively attack) Virāṭa, king of the Matsyas. They do so with weapons raised, ready to risk their lives, motivated by allegiance to their friend Duryodhana.