Shloka 3
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
अत्र मां प्रापय क्षिप्रं पश्य मे सारथे बलम् | न समर्थों हि मे पार्थ: स्थातुमद्य पुरो युधि,'सारथे! मुझे शीघ्र उनके पास पहुँचा दो। फिर मेरा बल देखो। आज युद्धमें कुन्तीकुमार युधिष्ठिर मेरे सामने कदापि नहीं ठहर सकते”
atra māṁ prāpaya kṣipraṁ paśya me sārathe balam | na samartho hi me pārthaḥ sthātum adya puro yudhi ||
“Bring me there quickly, charioteer. Then behold my strength. Today, in battle, that son of Pṛthā (Yudhiṣṭhira) is not capable of standing before me.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial pride and the urge to prove one’s prowess can dominate the battlefield mindset; ethically, it invites reflection on the contrast between boastful certainty and the unpredictable, morally weighty consequences of war.
A warrior, addressing his charioteer, demands to be driven swiftly toward the opponent and declares that the son of Pṛthā—identified here as Yudhiṣṭhira—cannot withstand him in combat that day.