Shloka 48
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
ततः क्रुद्धो महाराज नकुल: परवीरहा । शरैस्तस्य दिश: सर्वाश्छादयामास वीर्यवान्
tataḥ kruddho mahārāja nakulaḥ paravīrahā | śarais tasya diśaḥ sarvāś chādayāmāsa vīryavān ||
संजय बोले—महाराज! तब शत्रुवीरों का संहार करने वाले पराक्रमी नकुल क्रुद्ध हो उठे और बाणों की घनी वर्षा से अपने शत्रु की ओर की समस्त दिशाओं को आच्छादित कर दिया।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how kṣatriya energy—especially anger—manifests as decisive martial action. It implicitly warns that wrath, even when aligned with warrior duty, escalates destruction; therefore discipline and discernment are crucial within dharma-bound conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Nakula, enraged, unleashes such a barrage of arrows that the opponent’s surrounding quarters seem covered—an image of overwhelming pressure in battle.