Shloka 403
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 33 — Kuru Cattle-Raid and Matsya Mobilization (भूमिंजय-प्रेरणा)
समायाद् विरथं दृष्ट्वा त्रिगर्त प्राहरत् तदा । सुशर्माको रथहीन हुआ देखकर राजा विराटके चक्ररक्षक सुप्रसिद्ध वीर मदिराक्ष भी वहाँ आ पहुँचे और त्रिगर्तनरेशपर बाणोंसे प्रहार करने लगे
samāyād virathaṁ dṛṣṭvā trigartaḥ prāharat tadā | suśarmāko rathahīnaḥ huā dekhakara rājā virāṭake cakrarakṣakaḥ suprasiddha vīra madirākṣaḥ bhī vahāṁ ā pahūṁce aura trigartanareśapara bāṇoṁse prahāra karane lage |
Vaiśampāyana said: Seeing the Trigarta king advance without a chariot, the warriors struck at him at once. Just then Madirākṣa—Virāṭa’s famed hero and guardian of the royal wheel, the chariot corps—arrived and began to shower arrows upon the Trigarta ruler. Thus is the battlefield code made plain: to shield one’s king and realm, even as the fortunes of war shift.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights kṣatriya-dharma in practice: loyal defense of one’s king and realm, swift response to threats, and organized protection of the royal chariot corps even when the enemy’s position changes (here, the Trigarta king being chariotless).
In the battle involving the Trigartas and Virāṭa’s forces, Suśarmā is seen without his chariot. Virāṭa’s famed chariot-guardian Madirākṣa arrives and attacks the Trigarta ruler with arrows, intensifying the combat around the enemy king.