Shloka 25
शलभानामिव व्राताञ्शरब्रातान् महारथ: । रथोपगान् समीक्ष्यैवं विव्यथे नैव सौबल:,इति श्रीमहा भारते कर्णपर्वणि सुतसोमसौबलयुद्धे पजचरविंशो 5ध्याय:
sañjaya uvāca | śalabhānām iva vrātān śaravrātān mahārathaḥ | rathopagān samīkṣyaivaṁ vivyathe naiva saubalaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: Seeing the dense flights of arrows rushing toward his chariot like swarms of locusts, the great warrior (Sutasoma) pressed the attack; yet Saubala (Śakuni), even upon observing those arrows closing in on the chariot, did not waver. The scene underscores the grim ethic of the battlefield: steadfastness under threat is praised as martial virtue, even as the violence itself reveals the tragic cost of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ideal of dhairya (steadfast courage): even when faced with overwhelming danger—arrows like a locust-swarm—a warrior is expected not to lose composure. It also implicitly points to the tragic intensity of war, where virtue is measured by endurance amid destruction.
Sañjaya describes a moment in the Sutasoma–Saubala combat: volleys of arrows surge toward the chariot in great numbers. Despite the threatening barrage, Saubala (Śakuni) remains unshaken, indicating his resolve in the duel.