Shloka 9
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
बलिभि: पाण्डवैर्दप्तैर्लब्धलक्षै: प्रहारिभि: । कौरव्यसीदत् पृतना मृगीवाग्निसमाकुला,पाण्डव योद्धा बलवान् और प्रहारकुशल थे। उनका निशाना कभी खाली नहीं जाता था। उनकी मार खाकर कौरव-सेना दावानलसे घिरी हुई हरिणीके समान अत्यन्त संतप्त हो उठी
sañjaya uvāca |
balibhiḥ pāṇḍavair daptair labdhalakṣaiḥ prahāribhiḥ |
kauravy asīdat pṛtanā mṛgīvāgnisamākulā ||
Sañjaya said: Struck by the mighty Pāṇḍavas—proud in their prowess, unfailing in aim, and skilled in delivering blows—the Kaurava host began to collapse, like a doe hemmed in by a raging forest-fire. The verse underscores how martial excellence and relentless pressure can break an army’s morale, turning the battlefield into a scene of panic and suffering.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how superior skill and unwavering effectiveness in action can shatter an opposing force’s stability; it also evokes the ethical tragedy of war by comparing the terrified army to a helpless deer trapped by wildfire.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava troops are reeling and beginning to collapse under the powerful, accurate, and forceful attacks of the Pāṇḍava warriors.