Shloka 56
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
यया मायामयान् दृप्तान् सुबहून् धनदालये । जघान गुह्ुकान क्रुद्धो नदन् पार्थो महाबल:
yayā māyāmayān dṛptān subahūn dhanadālaye | jaghāna guhukān kruddho nadan pārtho mahābalaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: With that (weapon/means), the mighty Pārtha, roaring in wrath, slew very many arrogant foes—those who fought by deceptive, illusory devices—there in the abode of the Lord of Wealth. The verse underscores how, in the pressure of war, pride and deceit invite swift retribution, while righteous fury is portrayed as a force that cuts through delusion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts deceptive, pride-driven aggression (māyāmayāḥ, dṛptāḥ) with the decisive force of righteous martial action. In the epic’s ethical frame, arrogance and reliance on trickery are shown as self-defeating, while disciplined strength—though fierce—serves the larger demands of dharma in war.
Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna (Pārtha), enraged and roaring, uses a particular means/weapon to kill many opponents described as arrogant and employing illusory or deceptive tactics, at a location identified as Dhanada’s abode (Kubera’s domain).