Shloka 303
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
प्रासेन चेकितानं वै विव्याध हृदये भृशम् । भरतश्रेष्ठ) आपके पुत्रने तुरंत ही एक प्रासका प्रहार करके उन आक्रमणकारी पाण्डव- योद्धाओंमेंसे चेकितानकी छातीपर गहरी चोट पहुँचायी
prāsena cekitānaṃ vai vivyādha hṛdaye bhṛśam |
Sañjaya berkata: “Dengan tombak, ia menikam Cekitāna dengan keras tepat di daerah jantung.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh ethical reality of war: even when framed as kṣatriya-duty, combat rapidly becomes fatal, reminding the listener that dharma in battle carries unavoidable human cost.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior (contextually, from the Kaurava side as implied by the accompanying prose) pierces the Pāṇḍava ally Cekitāna with a spear, striking him hard in the heart-region.