Shloka 21
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
भीमसेनो<5थ नाराचं ज्वलन्तमिव पन्नगम्,भीमसेनने प्रज्वलित सर्पके समान नाराच चलाया, नकुलने संग्रामभूमिमें शल्यपर शक्ति छोड़ी, सहदेवने सुन्दर गदा चलायी और धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरने रणक्षेत्रमें शल्यको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे उनपर शतघ्नीका प्रहार किया
sañjaya uvāca | bhīmaseno 'tha nārācaṃ jvalantam iva pannagam prāhiṇot | nakulaḥ saṅgrāmabhūmau śalyapar śaktiṃ mumoca | sahadevaḥ sundarāṃ gadāṃ prāhiṇot | dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraś ca raṇakṣetre śalyaṃ hantum icchan śataghnīprahāraṃ cakāra |
Dijo Sañjaya: Entonces Bhīmasena lanzó una flecha barbada, llameante como una serpiente de fuego. Nakula, en el campo de batalla, arrojó una lanza contra Śalya. Sahadeva envió una espléndida maza. Y el rey Yudhiṣṭhira, resuelto a dar muerte a Śalya, lo golpeó en el combate con una shataghnī.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, action is framed as duty and purpose: the Pandavas act with coordinated resolve to neutralize a dangerous adversary. The verse highlights intention (to end Shalya’s threat) and disciplined execution, underscoring the Mahabharata’s recurring tension between necessary violence and ethical responsibility.
Sanjaya reports a sequence of attacks on Shalya: Bhima shoots a fierce nārāca likened to a blazing serpent; Nakula hurls a śakti; Sahadeva sends a mace; and Yudhishthira strikes with a śataghnī, aiming to kill Shalya on the battlefield.