Shloka 23
सहदेव-राधेय-संग्रामः; शल्य-प्रभावः; अलम्बुस-निवर्तनम्
Sahadeva and Karṇa; Śalya’s pressure; Alambusa’s interception
ते सर्वतः सम्परिवार्य संख्ये शैनेयमाजघ्नुरनीकसाहा: । स चापि तान् प्रवर: सात्वतानां न्यवारयद् बाणजालेन वीर:,वे सभी बड़ी-बड़ी सेनाओंका आक्रमण सहनेमें समर्थ थे। उन सबने युद्धस्थलमें सात्यकिको चारों ओरसे घेरकर उनपर प्रहार आरम्भ कर दिया। सात्वतशिरोमणि वीर सात्यकिने भी अपने बाणोंके समूहसे उन सबको आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दिया
te sarvataḥ samparivārya saṅkhye śaineyam ājaghnur anīkasāhāḥ | sa cāpi tān pravaraḥ sāttvatānāṃ nyavārayad bāṇajālena vīraḥ ||
Sanjaya said: Enduring the assault of many great battle-formations, those warriors surrounded Śaineya (Sātyaki) on all sides in the thick of combat and began to strike at him. But the heroic Sātyaki—foremost among the Sāttvatas—checked their advance, holding them back with a dense net of arrows. The scene underscores a warrior’s duty to stand firm under pressure while restraining the enemy through skill rather than panic or retreat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness and disciplined action in crisis: a warrior should endure pressure, keep composure, and use skillful restraint (here, a controlled volley of arrows) to prevent the enemy’s advance rather than yielding to fear or disorder.
On the battlefield, multiple warriors encircle Sātyaki from all sides and attack him. Sātyaki, renowned among the Sāttvatas, responds by stopping their forward movement with a dense barrage—described as a ‘net of arrows’—thereby holding the encircling forces at bay.