Shloka 24
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
ततः प्रभद्रका राजन् सोमकाश्न सहस्रश: । पतिता: पात्यमानाश्च दृश्यने शल्यसायकै:,राजन! तत्पश्चात् सहस्रों प्रभ)द्रक और सोमक योद्धा शल्यके बाणोंसे घायल होकर गिरे और गिरते हुए दिखायी देने लगे
tataḥ prabhadrakā rājan somakāś ca sahasraśaḥ | patitāḥ pātyamānāś ca dṛśyante śalyasāyakaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, thousands of Prabhadrakas and Somakas were seen falling—some already struck down, others collapsing as they fell—wounded by Śalya’s arrows. The scene underscores the grim momentum of battle, where prowess and fate swiftly reduce even great hosts, reminding the listener of war’s heavy moral cost and the fragility of embodied life.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of war: even large, valorous forces can be swiftly destroyed. Implicitly it points to the impermanence of life and the ethical weight of kṣatriya warfare, where duty and destruction coexist.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that thousands of Prabhadraka and Somaka warriors are being struck by Śalya’s arrows; they are seen falling—some already down, others collapsing in the moment—indicating Śalya’s overwhelming effectiveness in that phase of the battle.