Shloka 15
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
तयोर्धनुज्यातलनि:स्वनो महान् महेन्द्रवजञाशनितुल्यनि:स्वन: । परस्परं बाणगणैर्महात्मनो: प्रवर्षतोर्मद्रपपाण्डुवीरयो:
tayor dhanurjyātala-niḥsvano mahān mahendra-vajrāśani-tulya-niḥsvanaḥ | parasparaṃ bāṇa-gaṇair mahātmanoḥ pravarṣator madrapa-pāṇḍu-vīrayoḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Between those two great-souled warriors—the king of Madra and the Pāṇḍava hero—as they showered each other with volleys of arrows, there arose a mighty sound: the twang and clash of their bowstrings, like the thunderous crash of Indra’s thunderbolt. The battle is portrayed not as mere violence, but as a grave contest of prowess and resolve, where each seeks victory while standing firm in the warrior’s code amid the storm of weapons.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the gravity and discipline of kṣatriya combat: even amid destructive force, the warriors’ steadfastness and skill are emphasized. The ethical frame is the warrior code—courage, endurance, and resolve—rather than personal malice, conveyed through elevated, cosmic imagery (Indra’s thunderbolt).
Sañjaya describes a fierce exchange between the king of Madra (Śalya) and a Pāṇḍava hero (Nakula). As both rain volleys of arrows at each other, the sound of their bows and bowstrings becomes immense, compared to the crash of Indra’s vajra.