Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 7
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
तस्मिंस्तथा वर्तमाने युद्धे भीरुभयावहे । पूर्वाह्न चापि सम्प्राप्ते भास्करोदयनं प्रति
tasmiṁs tathā vartamāne yuddhe bhīru-bhayāvahe | pūrvāhṇe cāpi samprāpte bhāskarodayanaṁ prati, rājan |
サンジャヤは言った。「大王よ、その戦—恐ろしく、臆病者の恐れを増し加えるもの—がかくも荒れ狂い、朝の刻が日出へと移るころ、偉大なるアルジュナの手から守られ、狙いを射抜くことに長けた敵の武者たちは、あなたの軍と相まみえた。彼らは“死”そのものを、戦から退くことのない唯一の限界として定めていた。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness: warriors set death as the ultimate boundary rather than retreat, contrasting courage with the fear that overwhelms the timid. It frames battle as a moral test of resolve under terror.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that as the morning progressed, the battle intensified. Enemy fighters—shielded from Arjuna’s direct threat and skilled in marksmanship—pressed against the king’s forces, determined to fight without withdrawing except by death.
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