Shloka 42
शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः
Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel
मद्रराज भुजोत्सृष्टे: कड़कबर्हिणवाजितै: । सम्पतद्धिः शरैघोरिरवाकीर्यत मेदिनी,मद्रराजकी भुजाओंसे छूटकर गिरनेवाले कंक और मोरकी पाँखोंसे युक्त भयानक बाणोंद्वारा वहाँकी सारी पृथ्वी ढक गयी थी
madrarāja-bhujotsṛṣṭaiḥ kaṅka-barhiṇa-vājitaiḥ | sampatadbhiḥ śaraiḥ ghōrair avākīryata medinī ||
Dilepaskan dari lengan raja Madra, anak-anak panah yang mengerikan—berhias bulu burung bangkai dan jambul merak—jatuh berhamburan, hingga bumi di sana seakan tertabur dan tertutup olehnya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare, driven by martial skill and duty, can rapidly overwhelm the world of living beings; it invites reflection on the ethical weight of violence even when performed under kṣatriya norms.
Sañjaya describes Śalya (the king of Madra) releasing a terrifying shower of arrows, fletched with vulture and peacock feathers, so densely that the ground appears covered with them.