Shloka 7
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
तथा मद्राधिपस्यापि गदावेगं महात्मन: । सोदुमुत्सहते नानयो योधो युधि वृकोदरात्,“इसी प्रकार महामना मद्रराज शल्यकी गदाका वेग भी रणभूमिमें भीमसेनके सिवा दूसरा कोई योद्धा नहीं सह सकता'
tathā madrādhipasyāpi gadāvegaṃ mahātmanaḥ | soḍhum utsahate nānyo yodho yudhi vṛkodarāt ||
Sañjaya said: “In the same way, the mighty rush of the mace wielded by the great-souled Śalya, lord of Madra, cannot be endured in battle by any warrior other than Vṛkodara (Bhīma).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that exceptional power must be met by exceptional resilience: Śalya’s mace-force is so overwhelming that only Bhīma is portrayed as capable of enduring it. In the Mahābhārata’s war ethic, this highlights how personal capacity (bala) and steadfastness (dhṛti) shape one’s ability to fulfill kṣatriya-duty under extreme violence.
Sañjaya, narrating the battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes the terrifying momentum of Śalya’s mace in combat and states that no warrior except Vṛkodara (Bhīma) can withstand it. It functions as a comparative praise, setting the stage for the intensity of encounters involving Śalya and the exceptional role of Bhīma among the Pāṇḍava fighters.