Shloka 343
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
शरै: संछादयामास समन्तात् पाण्डुनन्दनम् | तब सत्यसेनने शत्रुका वेग नष्ट करनेवाले दूसरे भारसाधक धनुषको हाथमें लेकर अपने बाणोंद्वारा पाण्डुनन्दन नकुलको ढक दिया
śaraiḥ sañchādayāmāsa samantāt pāṇḍunandanam |
Sanjaya berkata: Dengan hujan anak panah ia menutupi putra Pandu dari segala sisi. Maka Satyasena—berniat mematahkan laju musuh—menggenggam busur lain yang lebih kuat dan berat, lalu dengan rentetan panahnya menyelimuti Nakula, pangeran Pandawa, dari sekeliling.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya battlefield ethic where resolve, skill, and tactical pressure (breaking the opponent’s momentum) are central; it portrays how war rewards disciplined force rather than hesitation, while reminding the listener that such prowess operates within the grim moral landscape of Kurukṣetra.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior (identified in the accompanying gloss as Satyasena) unleashes a dense volley of arrows, surrounding and effectively ‘covering’ the Pāṇḍava Nakula from all directions, intensifying the duel and pressing the Pāṇḍava line.