Shloka 8
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
इस प्रकार मृत्यु और यमराजके समान शत्रुसेनाका संहार करनेवाले राजा शल्यको अत्यन्त क्रोधमें भरे हुए पाण्डव, पांचाल तथा सोमकयोद्धाओंने चारों ओरसे घेर लिया ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
iti mṛtyu-yamarāja-samāna-śatru-senā-saṃhārakaṃ rājānaṃ śalyaṃ atyanta-krodha-paripūrṇāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ pāñcālāḥ somakāś ca samantād paryavārayām āsuḥ ||
taṃ bhīmasenaś ca śineś ca naptā mādrīyāś ca putrau puruṣa-pravīrau |
samāgataṃ bhīma-balena rājñā paryāptam anyonyam athāhvayanta ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Así, los Pándavas—junto con los Panchalas y los Somakas—ardiendo en intensa ira, cercaron por todos lados al rey Śalya, destructor de las huestes enemigas, semejante a la Muerte y a Yama. Entonces Bhīmasena, Sātyaki, nieto de Śini, y los dos hijos de Mādrī, los más eminentes entre los hombres, Nakula y Sahadeva—llegados con el poderoso rey Yudhiṣṭhira—comenzaron a desafiar a Śalya, plenamente capaz, llamándolo a combate singular en medio del fragor de la batalla.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Shalya as ‘like Death and Yama’ to stress the moral gravity of war: when adharma-driven conflict reaches its climax, even great kings become instruments of destruction. It also highlights kshatriya-dharma in its stark form—leaders and champions must confront formidable opponents directly, yet the imagery warns that unchecked wrath turns the battlefield into a realm ruled by death.
After Shalya has been devastating enemy forces, the Pandava alliance (Pandavas, Panchalas, Somakas) encircles him. Bhima, Satyaki, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, together with King Yudhishthira, close in and challenge Shalya to combat, setting up a focused confrontation amid the larger battle.