Shloka 24
Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 17 — Śālva’s encampment and the Yādava counter-engagement at Dvārakā
ततो मोहं समापन्ने तनये मम भारत । मुमोच बाणांस्त्वरित: पुनरन्यान् दुरासदान्,भारत! मेरे पुत्रके मूर्च्छित हो जानेपर भी शाल्वने उनपर और भी बहुत-से दुर्धर्ष बाण शीघ्रतापूर्वक छोड़े
tato mohaṃ samāpanne tanaye mama bhārata | mumoca bāṇāṃs tvaritaḥ punar anyān durāsadān ||
Then, O Bhārata, when my son had fallen into a swoon, Śālva—undeterred even by that helpless state—swiftly released yet more arrows, hard to withstand. The passage underscores the harsh momentum of battle, where a warrior’s aggression can persist even when the opponent is incapacitated, raising an implicit ethical tension between martial ferocity and restraint.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical pressure-point in warfare: the capacity for relentless violence even when the opponent is incapacitated. It implicitly invites reflection on kṣatriya-dharma—whether valor should be tempered by restraint and compassion, or driven solely by victory.
Vāyudeva narrates that when his son became unconscious, Śālva did not pause; instead he quickly shot additional, formidable arrows at him, intensifying the assault despite the son’s helpless condition.