Shloka 603
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
यन्तारं मद्रराजस्य निर्बिभेद ततो हृदि । इससे भीमसेनको तनिक भी घबराहट नहीं हुई। उन्होंने उसी तोमरको निकालकर उसके द्वारा मद्रराज शल्यके सारथिकी छाती छेद डाली
yantāraṁ madrarājasya nirbibheda tato hṛdi |
Sañjaya said: Then Bhīmasena pierced the charioteer of the king of Madra straight in the heart. Unshaken by the blow he had received, he wrenched out the very spear and, turning it back in the fury of battle, struck down Śalya’s driver—an act that underscores how, in war, the charioteer too becomes vulnerable when combatants abandon restraint and focus solely on disabling the enemy’s mobility and command.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the brutal momentum of war: once the aim becomes victory at any cost, even non-combatant roles like the charioteer are drawn into lethal danger. It invites reflection on how dharma becomes strained in battle, where tactical necessity and moral restraint collide.
In the clash involving Śalya, Bhīma—undeterred—pierces Śalya’s charioteer in the heart, effectively crippling Śalya’s chariot operation and demonstrating a tactic of disabling the enemy’s mobility and support.