Shloka 46
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
तावुभौ शरवर्षाभ्यां समासाद्य परस्परम् | परस्परवधे यत्नं चक्रतु: सुमहारथौ
sañjaya uvāca |
tāv ubhau śaravarṣābhyāṃ samāsādya parasparam |
parasparavadhe yatnaṃ cakratuḥ sumahārathau ||
Sañjaya dit : Se rapprochant l’un de l’autre, ces deux puissants guerriers de char se rencontrèrent sous des pluies de flèches. Chacun visait la mort de l’autre, pris dans un duel inexorable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse starkly frames the battlefield ethic of the Kṣatriya world: elite warriors, once engaged, press forward with unwavering resolve, even when the immediate aim becomes the opponent’s death. It highlights how martial duty and personal valor can intensify conflict into a cycle of reciprocal violence, inviting reflection on the moral cost of war.
Sanjaya narrates a close-quarters escalation: two foremost chariot-warriors advance toward each other and exchange dense volleys of arrows. The encounter becomes a direct duel in which both actively attempt to kill the other.