Shloka 46
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
तमापततन्तं सम्प्रेक्ष्य मत्तवारणविक्रमम्
tam āpatatantaṃ samprekṣya mattavāraṇavikramaṃ, matavāle hāthīke samāna parākrama prakaṭ karanevāle śvetako dhāvā karate dekh āpake sāt rathiyōne mautake dāṁtōṁmeṁ phaṁse hue madrarāja śalyako bacānekī icchā rakhkar unheṁ cāroṁ orase gher liyā
Sañjaya dit : Voyant Śveta fondre en avant, déployant une puissance pareille à l’élan d’un éléphant en rut de fureur, tes sept guerriers de char, désireux de sauver Śalya, roi de Madra, déjà comme pris entre les mâchoires de la mort, l’encerclèrent de toutes parts.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a warrior’s ethical obligation to protect comrades and allies in crisis. Even in a destructive war, loyalty and the duty to safeguard one’s side—especially a vulnerable leader—are treated as integral to kṣatriya conduct.
Śveta charges forward with the force of a maddened elephant. Seeing Śalya, the king of Madra, in mortal danger, the seven chariot-warriors on the Kaurava side encircle him from all directions to shield and rescue him.