Shloka 27
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
शल्यं च पज्चविंशत्या शरैरविव्याध पाण्डव: । रुक्मपुड्खैर्महेष्वास: स विद्धो व्यपयाद् रणात्
śalyaṃ ca pañcaviṃśatyā śarair avivyādha pāṇḍavaḥ | rukmapuṅkhair maheṣvāsaḥ sa viddho vyapayād raṇāt ||
फिर महाधनुर्धर पाण्डव ने सुवर्ण-पंखयुक्त पच्चीस बाणों से राजा शल्य को बींध दिया; उन बाणों से घायल होकर वे रणभूमि से हट गए।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh realism of kṣatriya warfare: prowess and status do not guarantee invulnerability, and tactical withdrawal can follow when one is decisively wounded—highlighting the consequences of violence within the dharma-bound arena of battle.
Sañjaya reports that a Pāṇḍava warrior strikes Śalya with twenty-five golden-fletched arrows; Śalya, wounded, retreats from the battlefield.