Shloka 453
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
अन्योन्यमभिगर्जन्त: प्रहरन्त: परस्परम् । नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका प्रयोग करके परस्पर प्रहार करनेवाले महारथी एक- दूसरेको लक्ष्य करके गर्जना करते थे
anyonyam abhigarjantaḥ praharantaḥ parasparam | nānā-prakārakaiḥ astra-śastraiḥ prayogaṃ kṛtvā paraspara-prahāra-karaṇā mahārathāḥ eka-ekaṃ lakṣyaṃ kṛtvā garjanāṃ cakruḥ |
Sañjaya said: Roaring at one another and striking each other in turn, the great chariot-warriors hurled and wielded weapons of many kinds. Fixing each opponent as their target, they thundered challenges and dealt blow for blow—an image of war’s escalating fury, where prowess and pride surge even as righteousness is tested amid mutual violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the reciprocal nature of violence in war: challenge answers challenge, blow answers blow. It implicitly frames the ethical tension of kṣatriya valor—skill and courage are displayed, yet the scene also underscores how quickly conflict intensifies and how dharma is strained amid mutual aggression.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where great chariot-warriors confront each other directly, shouting war-cries, taking aim, and attacking with a wide range of missile and hand-held weapons, each fixing the other as the immediate target.