Shloka 54
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
निजघान ततो राजंश्वेदीन् वै पज्चविंशतिम् । महात्मा पाण्डवके द्वारा अपने चक्ररक्षकके मारे जानेपर राजा शल्यने पचीस चेदि- योद्धाओंका संहार कर डाला || ५३ $ || सात्यकिं पड्चविंशत्या भीमसेनं च पठ्चभि:
nijaghāna tato rājan śvedīn vai pañcaviṁśatim | sāt yakiṁ pañcaviṁśatyā bhīmasenaṁ ca pañcabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Śalya struck down twenty-five Śvedi (Cedi) warriors. He also assailed Sātyaki with twenty-five (arrows) and Bhīmasena with five—thus continuing the relentless exchange of blows in the battle, where prowess and wrath eclipse restraint and the cost of war is measured in lives.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim momentum of war: martial duty and wrath drive warriors to relentless slaughter, reminding the listener that even ‘heroic’ action carries heavy ethical weight and human cost.
Sañjaya reports to the King that Śalya, enraged and active in combat, kills twenty-five Cedi/Śvedi fighters and then targets Sātyaki with twenty-five arrows and Bhīma with five, intensifying the battle’s violence.