Shloka 34
देवसत्रे मृत्युनिरोधः, पूर्वेन्द्राणां मानुषावतरणम्, द्रौपदी-वरकथनम्
Suspension of Death at the Devasatra; Former Indras’ Human Descent; Draupadī’s Boon Etiology
तथैव मद्राधिपतिं शल्यं बलवतां वरम् | बलदेवादृते वीरात् पाण्डवाद् वा वृकोदरात्
tathaiva madrādhipatiṁ śalyaṁ balavatāṁ varam | baladevād ṛte vīrāt pāṇḍavād vā vṛkodarāt |
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Del mismo modo, ¿quién podría abatir en batalla a Śalya, señor de Madra y el primero entre los poderosos—salvo el heroico Baladeva o el Pāṇḍava Vṛkodara (Bhīma)?» Con ello se subraya la estatura marcial excepcional de Śalya y se da a entender que sólo un círculo muy reducido de guerreros extraordinarios podría aspirar a vencerlo, lo cual pesa en el juicio ético sobre si perseverar en un choque donde las probabilidades y el costo en vidas son graves.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how true strength is rare and concentrated in a few exceptional figures; recognizing this reality is part of prudent, dharma-aware decision-making in war, where misjudging an opponent’s prowess can lead to needless destruction.
Vaiśampāyana describes an assessment of Śalya’s battlefield invincibility: only Baladeva or Bhīma (Vṛkodara) is presented as capable of bringing him down, emphasizing Śalya’s status among elite warriors and influencing strategic choices in the surrounding episode.