Shloka 8
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
लब्धलक्षा: परे राजन् रक्षितास्तु महात्मना | अयोधयंस्तव बल मृत्युं कृत्वा निवर्तनम्,राजन! पूर्वह्निकाल प्राप्त होनेपर सूर्योदयके समय जब कायरोंका भय बढ़ानेवाला वर्तमान युद्ध चल रहा था, उस समय महात्मा अर्जुनसे सुरक्षित शत्रु-योद्धा, जो लक्ष्य वेधनेमें कुशल थे, मृत्युको ही युद्धसे निवृत्त होनेकी सीमा नियत करके आपकी सेनाके साथ जूझने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | labdhalakṣāḥ pare rājan rakṣitās tu mahātmanā | ayodhayans tava balaṃ mṛtyuṃ kṛtvā nivartanam rājan |
Sañjaya said: O King, the enemy warriors—sure of their aim and protected by the great-souled Arjuna—engaged your forces in battle, having fixed death itself as the only limit to their withdrawal. In the fierce fighting at sunrise, they pressed on to heighten the fear of the faint-hearted, choosing honor in combat over retreat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness: warriors, confident in skill and supported by a great leader, treat retreat as unthinkable and accept death as the boundary. Ethically, it frames courage and commitment in battle as a chosen duty, contrasting it with the fear of the faint-hearted.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the opposing fighters—protected by Arjuna and skilled in marksmanship—attacked the Kaurava forces at sunrise with intense resolve, fighting as if death were the only permissible end, thereby increasing panic among timid soldiers.