Mahabharata 9.23.42 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 23, Shloka 42
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
ते तत्र सादिन: शूरा: सौबलस्य महद् बलम् | रणमध्ये व्यतिष्ठन्त शरवर्षैरवाकिरन्,वे शूरवीर घुड़सवार वहाँ जाकर रणभूमिके मध्यभागमें खड़े हो गये और शकुनिकी उस विशाल सेनापर बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगे
te tatra sādinaḥ śūrāḥ saubalasya mahad balam | raṇamadhye vyatiṣṭhanta śaravarṣair avākiran |
Sañjaya said: There, those heroic horsemen advanced and took their stand in the very midst of the battlefield, and they showered arrows upon the great force of Saubala (Śakuni).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield dharma in practice: courage expressed as steadiness and coordinated action—taking a firm position and engaging the enemy with disciplined force—rather than impulsive aggression.
Sanjaya describes heroic mounted warriors moving into the center of the battlefield, standing their ground, and pelting Saubala (Śakuni)’s large contingent with a sustained shower of arrows.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.