Shloka 29
मद्रराजं महेष्वासं सहसैन्यं युधिष्ठिर: । भीमसेनो5भिगुप्तस्तु नागानीकमुपाद्रवत्,युधिष्ठिरने महाधनुर्धर मद्रराज शल्य तथा उनकी सेनापर धावा किया। सब ओरसे सुरक्षित हुए भीमसेन हाथियोंकी सेनापर टूट पड़े
sañjaya uvāca |
madra-rājaṃ mahā-eṣvāsaṃ saha-sainyaṃ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ |
bhīmaseno 'bhiguptas tu nāga-anīkam upādravat ||
Sañjaya said: Yudhiṣṭhira charged against the king of Madra—Śalya, the great archer—together with his forces. Meanwhile Bhīmasena, though well-protected on all sides, rushed upon the elephant-corps. The scene underscores the grim momentum of battle: leaders press forward against leaders, while disciplined formations (like the elephant division) become decisive targets, testing courage, duty, and restraint amid violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-duty in wartime: leaders must act decisively and protect their forces, yet their actions unfold within the moral tension of necessary violence. It also implies the ethical weight of command—targeting key formations and opposing commanders shapes the battle’s outcome and the responsibility borne by warriors.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira advances to engage Śalya, the Madra king and renowned archer, along with his troops. At the same time, Bhīma—securely guarded—charges the elephant division, indicating a tactical assault on a powerful battlefield formation.