Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
ततो युधिष्ठिरश्नापमादायेन्द्रधनुष्प्रभम्
tato yudhiṣṭhiraś cāpaṃ ādāyendradhanuṣprabham
Sañjaya said: Then Yudhiṣṭhira took up a bow that shone like Indra’s rainbow—signaling his resolve to act with kingly responsibility amid the pressures of war.
संजय उवाच
Even a dharma-minded ruler must sometimes take up arms: the verse highlights disciplined resolve—entering action not from rage, but from responsibility within the moral demands of a just war.
Sañjaya narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira physically takes up a radiant bow, a vivid cue that he is preparing to engage in the unfolding battle events of the Śalya Parva.