Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 6

शल्यवधे कौरवसेनाभङ्गः, भीमस्य गदायुद्धं, दुर्योधनस्य समाह्वानम्

Rout after Śalya’s fall; Bhīma’s mace engagement; Duryodhana’s rally

Devanagari script

मद्रराजप्रिये युक्तैर्मद्रकाणां महारथै: । आजगाम ततः: पार्थों गाण्डीवं विक्षिपन्‌ धनु:

Transliteration

madrarājapriye yuktair madrakāṇāṁ mahārathaiḥ | ājagāma tataḥ pārtho gāṇḍīvaṁ vikṣipan dhanuḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Pārtha (Arjuna) advanced, accompanied by the great chariot-warriors of the Madras who were devoted to their king; as he came on, he brandished his bow Gāṇḍīva—signaling resolve and readiness in the face of the moral weight of battle.

Word by Word

• मद्रराजप्रिये: in/at the dear (one) of the king of Madra
• मद्रराजप्रिये: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मद्रराजप्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• युक्तैः: accompanied/associated (with)
• युक्तैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युक्त
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• मद्रकाणाम्: of the Madrakas
• मद्रकाणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद्रक
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• महारथैः: with great chariot-warriors
• महारथैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• आजगाम: came/arrived
• आजगाम: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• पार्थः: Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गाण्डीवम्: the Gāṇḍīva (bow)
• गाण्डीवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाण्डीव
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• विक्षिपन्: brandishing/wielding
• विक्षिपन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-क्षिप्
• Form: Present active participle (Śatṛ), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धनुः: bow
• धनुः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Madra-rāja (king of Madra)
• Madras (Madrakāḥ)
• Gāṇḍīva

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfastness in one’s appointed duty amid conflict: disciplined readiness (symbolized by Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva) and the ethical seriousness of war, where loyalty and alliance must still be guided by dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Arjuna advances into the fray, accompanied by the Madra king’s favored/loyal great chariot-warriors, while Arjuna brandishes his famed bow Gāṇḍīva as a sign of imminent engagement.