Mahabharata 9.11.7 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 11, Shloka 7
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
तस्मिंस्तथा वर्तमाने युद्धे भीरुभयावहे । पूर्वाह्न चापि सम्प्राप्ते भास्करोदयनं प्रति
tasmiṁs tathā vartamāne yuddhe bhīru-bhayāvahe | pūrvāhṇe cāpi samprāpte bhāskarodayanaṁ prati, rājan |
Sañjaya dijo: «Oh Rey, mientras aquella batalla—terrible y hecha para acrecentar el miedo de los pusilánimes—seguía rugiendo así, y mientras la mañana avanzaba hacia el alba, los guerreros enemigos, resguardados del gran Arjuna y diestros en dar en el blanco, se enfrentaron a tu ejército, habiendo fijado a la muerte misma como el único límite más allá del cual no se retirarían del combate».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness: warriors set death as the ultimate boundary rather than retreat, contrasting courage with the fear that overwhelms the timid. It frames battle as a moral test of resolve under terror.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that as the morning progressed, the battle intensified. Enemy fighters—shielded from Arjuna’s direct threat and skilled in marksmanship—pressed against the king’s forces, determined to fight without withdrawing except by death.
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