Shloka 593
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
अभ्यवर्षदमेयात्मा क्षत्रियान् क्षत्रियर्षभ: । अमेय आत्मबलसे सम्पन्न क्षत्रियशिरोमणि शल्य वृष्टिकारी मेघके समान क्षत्रियोंपर बाणोंकी वर्षा कर रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | abhyavarṣad ameyātmā kṣatriyān kṣatriyarṣabhaḥ | ameya-ātmabalasaṃpannaḥ kṣatriyaśiromaṇiḥ śalyaḥ vṛṣṭikārī meghaka iva kṣatriyopari bāṇānāṃ varṣāṃ karoti sma |
Sañjaya dijo: Shalya—toro entre los guerreros, de espíritu inconmensurable y fuerza sin límite—derramó una lluvia de flechas sobre los kshatriyas. Como nube portadora de lluvia, esa joya cimera de los combatientes hizo caer una tormenta de saetas sobre los guerreros enemigos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the idealized kshatriya ethos of relentless martial prowess and steadfast resolve in battle, while implicitly reminding the listener that war magnifies both courage and suffering—testing how duty (dharma) is pursued amid destructive force.
Sanjaya describes Shalya as an extraordinary warrior who overwhelms the opposing fighters by showering them with arrows, compared to a cloud pouring rain—an image emphasizing the intensity and scale of the combat.