Shloka 31
शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः
Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel
स संनिपातस्तुमुलो बभूवाद्धुतदर्शन:,शूरवीर सात्यकि और मद्रराज शल्य इन दोनोंका वह संग्राम बड़ा भयंकर और अद्भुत दिखायी देता था। वह वैसा ही था, जैसा कि पूर्वकालमें शम्बरासुर और देवराज इन्द्रका युद्ध हुआ था
sa sannipātas tumulo babhūvādbhuta-darśanaḥ; śūra-vīraḥ sātyakiś ca madrarājaḥ śalyaś ca tayor ubhayor ayaṃ saṅgrāmo mahān bhayaṅkaraś cādbhuta-pratibhāsaḥ. sa ca pūrvakāle śambarāsurasya devarājendrasya ca yuddham iva babhūva.
Sañjaya said: That clash became thunderous and astonishing to behold. The battle between the heroic warrior Sātyaki and Śalya, king of Madra, appeared exceedingly dreadful and wondrous—like the ancient combat once fought between the demon Śambara and Indra, lord of the gods. The comparison underscores how war can display extraordinary prowess while remaining a fearful spectacle, reminding the listener that even ‘marvel’ in battle is inseparable from peril and destruction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of war: it can appear ‘marvelous’ due to valor and skill, yet it remains inherently terrifying and destructive. By likening human combat to a mythic divine-asuric battle, the text frames battlefield glory within a larger moral horizon where power and spectacle do not erase the gravity of violence.
Sanjaya describes a fierce, noisy, awe-inspiring clash between Sātyaki and Śalya (the Madra king). He intensifies the scene by comparing it to the legendary fight between the asura Śambara and Indra, suggesting an extraordinary level of ferocity and grandeur.