Shloka 36
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
दुर्योधनो महाराज धृष्टद्युम्नमयोधयत् । राजाधिराज! आपका पुत्र दुर्योधन अत्यन्त बल-पराक्रमसे सम्पन्न द्रोणहन्ता धृष्टद्युम्नके साथ जूझने लगा ।। त्रिसाहस्रास्तथा राजंस्तव पुत्रेण चोदिता:
sañjaya uvāca | duryodhano mahārāja dhṛṣṭadyumnam ayodhayat | rājādhirāja! āpaka putra duryodhana atyanta bala-parākramase sampanna droṇahantā dhṛṣṭadyumnake sātha jūjhane lagā || trisāhasrās tathā rājanstava putreṇa coditāḥ |
Sañjaya said: O great king, Duryodhana engaged Dhṛṣṭadyumna in battle. O emperor, your son Duryodhana—endowed with extraordinary strength and valor—closed with Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the slayer of Droṇa. And, O king, the troops in their thousands were likewise urged on by your son, pressing the fight forward.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how personal enmity and the momentum of war drive leaders to direct ever more forces into violence. Ethically, it underscores the tragic escalation that follows when rulers prioritize victory and pride over restraint and dharma, even as valor and martial duty are outwardly displayed.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana directly engages Dhṛṣṭadyumna in combat. Dhṛṣṭadyumna is identified by the epithet ‘slayer of Droṇa,’ and Duryodhana is described as urging on large bodies of troops, intensifying the battle.