Shloka 38
Śālva–Pradyumna Yuddha: Sārathya-kauśala, Astra-pratikāra, Daiva-niyati
Chapter 20
विज्ञाय तदहं सर्व माययैव व्यनाशयम् । यथाकालं तु युद्धेन व्यधमं सर्वतः शरै:,वह सब जानकर मैंने मायाद्वारा ही उसकी मायाका नाश कर दिया। यथासमय युद्ध करते हुए मैंने बाणोंद्वारा शाल्वकी सेनाको सब ओरसे संतप्त कर दिया
vijñāya tad ahaṃ sarvaṃ māyayāiva vyanāśayam | yathākālaṃ tu yuddhena vyadhamaṃ sarvataḥ śaraiḥ ||
Having understood all that, I destroyed it entirely by my own divine stratagem. Then, at the proper moment, engaging in battle, I harried Śālva’s forces on every side with volleys of arrows.
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Discernment and timely action are central to righteous leadership: once deception is recognized, it should be neutralized with appropriate means, and force—when unavoidable—should be applied decisively and in proper measure at the proper time.
Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) recounts how, after understanding the opponent’s deceptive power, he countered it with his own māyā, and then, entering battle at the right moment, he overwhelmed Śālva’s troops with arrows from all directions.