Shloka 38
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
प्राविशंस्तावका राजन् हंसा इव महत् सर: । नरेश्वरर जैसे हंस महान् सरोवरमें प्रवेश करते हैं, उसी प्रकार आपके सैनिक समरांगणमें विजयका दृढ़ संकल्प ले प्राणोंका मोह छोड़कर शत्रुओंकी सेनामें जा घुसे ।।
sañjaya uvāca | prāviśaṃs tāvakā rājan haṃsā iva mahat saraḥ | tato yuddham abhūd ghoraṃ parasparavadhaiṣiṇām ||
Sañjaya dijo: Oh rey, tus guerreros se lanzaron hacia delante—como cisnes que entran en un vasto lago—despojándose del apego a la vida y penetrando en las filas enemigas con firme resolución de victoria. Entonces se alzó una batalla espantosa, pues ambos bandos buscaban la destrucción del otro.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the psychology of war: warriors, driven by victory and hardened resolve, abandon attachment to life and rush into danger—yet the result is a ghastly conflict where both sides seek mutual destruction, underscoring the tragic ethical cost of martial obsession.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the Kaurava forces pressed into the enemy formation with determined momentum, compared to swans entering a vast lake; immediately afterward, a fierce battle erupted as combatants on both sides aimed to kill one another.