Shloka 1

Devanagari script

/ ऑपन--माजल छा ्-जस:अ सप्तदशो< ध्याय: भीमसेनद्वारा राजा शल्यके घोड़े और सारथिका तथा युधिष्ठिरद्वारा राजा शल्य और उनके भाईका वध एवं कृतवर्माकी पराजय संजय उवाच अथान्यद्‌ धनुरादाय बलवान वेगवत्तरम्‌ | युधिष्ठिरं मद्रपतिर्भित््वा सिंह इवानदत्‌,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्‌! तदनन्तर बलवान मद्रराज शल्य दूसरा अत्यन्त वेगशाली धनुष हाथमें लेकर युधिष्ठिरको घायल करके सिंहके समान गर्जने लगे

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | athānyad dhanur ādāya balavān vegavattaram | yudhiṣṭhiraṃ madrapatir viddhvā siṃha ivānadat ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the mighty king of Madra, Śalya, taking up another bow of even greater speed, struck Yudhiṣṭhira and, like a lion, roared aloud.

Word by Word

संजयःSanjaya

उवाचsaid

अथthen

अन्यत्another

धनुःbow

आदायhaving taken

बलवान्mighty

वेगवत्तरम्more swift/very swift

युधिष्ठिरम्Yudhishthira

मद्रपतिःlord of Madra (Shalya)

भित्त्वाhaving pierced/wounded

सिंहःa lion

इवlike/as

अनदत्roared

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Yudhiṣṭhira

Śalya (king of Madra)

Madra

bow

lion (simile)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a righteous ruler like Yudhiṣṭhira must endure the harsh tests of conflict; dharma is not merely moral intent but steadiness under pressure, when violence and intimidation (the lion-like roar) attempt to shake one’s resolve.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya, the Madra king, switches to another faster bow, shoots and wounds Yudhiṣṭhira, and then roars like a lion—signaling dominance and escalating the duel’s intensity.