Shloka 356
वध्यमाना शरशतै: शल्येनाहवशोभिना । भरतनन्दन! समरांगणमें बाणोंसे क्षत-विक्षत हुए राजा विराटको उनका सारथि दूर हटा ले गया। तब संग्राममें शोभा पानेवाले शल्यके सैकड़ों सायकोंसे पीड़ित हुई वह विशाल सेना उस रात्रिके समय भाग खड़ी हुई
sañjaya uvāca | vadhyamānā śaraśataiḥ śalyenāhavaśobhinā | bharatanandana samara-aṅgaṇe bāṇaiḥ kṣata-vikṣataṁ rājānaṁ virāṭaṁ tasya sārathiḥ dūraṁ apānvayat | tataḥ saṅgrāme śobhā-pāyinā śalyasya saikatair iva śataśaḥ sāyakaiḥ pīḍitā sā viśālā senā tasyāṁ rātryāṁ palāyitavatī ||
Sañjaya said: “O descendant of Bharata, as King Virāṭa was being struck by hundreds of arrows from Śalya—who shone in the battle—the king, torn and wounded by shafts on the field, was drawn away to a distance by his charioteer. Then that vast army, harried by Śalya’s hundreds of missiles and deprived of steadiness in the night, broke and fled.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, even a large force can collapse when leadership is wounded and morale breaks—especially under relentless pressure. It also shows the practical dharma of a charioteer: preserving the king’s life by withdrawing him when continued fighting would be futile.
Sañjaya reports that Śalya showers Virāṭa with hundreds of arrows, leaving him badly wounded. Virāṭa’s charioteer pulls him away from the front. Under Śalya’s continued assault, the large army loses cohesion and flees during the night.