Shloka 8
Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel and the Discharge of the Śakti (शल्यवधप्रसङ्गः)
भीमसेनने हाथमें गदा लेकर राजा दुर्योधनको रोका और सेनासहित कदुन्तीपुत्र युधिष्ठिरने शल्यको ।।
sañjaya uvāca | bhīmasenena hastaṁ gādāṁ gṛhītvā rājānaṁ duryodhanaṁ rurodha, senāsahitaś ca kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ śalyaṁ | tataḥ samabhavat sainyaṁ saṁsaktaṁ tatra tatra ha, tāvakānāṁ pareṣāṁ ca saṅgrāmeṣv anivartinām ||
Bhīmasena mengangkat gadanya dan menahan Raja Duryodhana; dan Yudhiṣṭhira, putra Kuntī, bersama pasukannya menahan Śalya. Maka pasukan kedua pihak—yang tak sudi mundur dalam pertempuran—pun terlibat pertempuran di banyak tempat, saling bertaut senjata di mana pun mereka berjumpa.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kshatriya ideal of steadfastness in battle—warriors who do not retreat—while implicitly reminding the listener that such valor operates within the larger moral tragedy of the Kurukshetra war, where duty, loyalty, and consequence collide.
Bhima blocks Duryodhana with mace in hand, and Yudhishthira, supported by his troops, checks Shalya. As these key confrontations form, the wider armies on both sides become interlocked in scattered, intense engagements across the battlefield.