Shloka 30

शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host

with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter

Devanagari script

अविध्यत्‌ तावसम्भ्रान्तो माद्रीपुत्र: प्रतापवान्‌

Transliteration

avidhyat tāv asambhrānto mādrīputraḥ pratāpavān

Translation

അപ്പോൾ പ്രതാപവാനായ മാദ്രിപുത്രൻ (നകുലൻ) അശാന്തിയില്ലാതെ ശത്രുവിനെ അമ്പുകൊണ്ട് ഭേദിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• अविध्यत्: struck, pierced
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध् (विध्)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, 3, singular

• तावक: your man; one of your side
• तावक: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तावक
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• सम्भ्रान्तः: confused, agitated
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्भ्रान्त (सम् + भ्रम्)
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• माद्रीपुत्रः: the son of Madri (Nakula/Sahadeva)
• माद्रीपुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: माद्रीपुत्र
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• प्रतापवान्: mighty, valorous
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतापवत्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Mādrī
• Mādrīputra (Nakula/Sahadeva)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in violent conflict, the text highlights inner steadiness (asambhrānta) as a virtue: a warrior should act with disciplined clarity rather than fear or confusion, aligning action with kṣatriya-dharma and self-mastery.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment in which Mādrī’s son—identified by the epithet mādrīputra (Nakula or Sahadeva, depending on the immediate context)—successfully strikes an opponent, emphasizing his valor and composure.