Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 8
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
लब्धलक्षा: परे राजन् रक्षितास्तु महात्मना | अयोधयंस्तव बल मृत्युं कृत्वा निवर्तनम्
sañjaya uvāca | labdhalakṣāḥ pare rājan rakṣitās tu mahātmanā | ayodhayans tava balaṃ mṛtyuṃ kṛtvā nivartanam rājan |
ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ರಾಜನೇ! ಶತ್ರು ಯೋಧರು ಲಬ್ಧಲಕ್ಷರು; ಮಹಾತ್ಮ ಅರ್ಜುನನ ರಕ್ಷಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂತವರು. ಅವರು ನಿನ್ನ ಸೇನೆಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಯುದ್ಧಕ್ಕೆ ಇಳಿದು, ಹಿಂತಿರುಗುವ ಮಿತಿಯಾಗಿ ಮರಣವನ್ನೇ ನಿಶ್ಚಯಿಸಿದರು. ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯಕಾಲದ ಆ ಭೀಕರ ಸಮರದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರು ಭೀತರ ಭಯವನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸುತ್ತ, ಹಿಂತಿರುಗದೆ ರಣಗೌರವವನ್ನೇ ಆರಿಸಿ ಮುನ್ನಡೆದರು.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness: warriors, confident in skill and supported by a great leader, treat retreat as unthinkable and accept death as the boundary. Ethically, it frames courage and commitment in battle as a chosen duty, contrasting it with the fear of the faint-hearted.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the opposing fighters—protected by Arjuna and skilled in marksmanship—attacked the Kaurava forces at sunrise with intense resolve, fighting as if death were the only permissible end, thereby increasing panic among timid soldiers.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.