Shloka 49
शल्यपर्व — चतुर्विंशोऽध्यायः | Śalya Parva, Chapter 24: Disruption of Kaurava Formations and the Elephant Encirclement
तस्माद् याहि चमूं वीर यावद्धन्मि शितै: शरै: । दुर्योधनं महाबाहो वाहिनी चास्य संयुगे,“अतः वीर! महाबाहो! आप कौरव-सेनाकी ओर चलिये, जिससे मैं पैने बाणोंद्वारा युद्धस्थलमें दुर्योधन और उसकी सेनाका संहार करूँ
tasmād yāhi camūṃ vīra yāvad dhanmi śitaiḥ śaraiḥ | duryodhanaṃ mahābāho vāhinīṃ cāsya saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya said: “Therefore, O hero, advance toward the army—so that, while there is still time, I may strike down Duryodhana with keen arrows, and in the clash of battle destroy his host as well.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the warrior-ethic of decisive action in battle: once conflict is joined, hesitation is portrayed as costly, and the speaker urges immediate advance so the enemy leader and his forces can be neutralized. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between dharma as duty in one’s role (kṣatriya conduct) and the grave moral weight of mass destruction.
Sañjaya reports an urgent exhortation addressed to a ‘mighty-armed’ warrior: move toward the Kaurava formation so that Duryodhana and his army may be struck down with sharp arrows in the ensuing battle. The focus is tactical immediacy—closing distance to enable a decisive attack on the enemy king and his host.