Shloka 293
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
बाणवर्षेण महता युधिष्ठिरमताडयत् । शीघ्रतापूर्वक हाथ चलानेवाले शल्यने युद्धस्थलमें पैने बाणोंद्वारा पाण्डव-सेनाका मर्दन करके बड़ी भारी बाण-वर्षके द्वारा युधिष्ठिरको भी गहरी चोट पहुँचायी
bāṇavarṣeṇa mahatā yudhiṣṭhiram atāḍayat | śīghratāpūrvaka-hasta-cālanavān śalyaḥ yuddhasthale paiṇaiḥ bāṇaiḥ pāṇḍava-senāyā mardanaṃ kṛtvā mahā-bāṇa-varṣeṇa yudhiṣṭhiram api gāḍhaṃ vyathayām āsa ||
Sañjaya dit : Par une puissante pluie de flèches, Śalya frappa Yudhiṣṭhira. Prompt de la main à décocher ses traits, Śalya, sur le champ de bataille, tailla dans les rangs des Pāṇḍava avec des flèches acérées, puis, sous une averse plus lourde encore, infligea aussi à Yudhiṣṭhira une blessure profonde.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh reality of war: even a dharmic king like Yudhiṣṭhira can be grievously harmed when martial skill and relentless aggression dominate the battlefield. It highlights the tension between righteousness and the brutal mechanics of kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya reports that Śalya, fighting with great speed and precision, showers arrows that devastate the Pāṇḍava troops and then strikes Yudhiṣṭhira himself with a heavy barrage, causing him severe injury.