Shloka 6
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
पाण्डवानां बलौघस्तु शल्यमासाद्य मारिष | व्यतिष्ठत तदा युद्धे सिन्धोर्वेग इवाचलम्,माननीय नरेश! जैसे किसी नदीका वेग किसी पर्वतके पास पहुँचकर अवरुद्ध हो जाता है, उसी प्रकार पाण्डवोंकी सेनाका वह समुदाय युद्धमें राजा शल्यके पास पहुँचकर खड़ा हो गया
pāṇḍavānāṁ balaughas tu śalyam āsādya māriṣa | vyatiṣṭhata tadā yuddhe sindhor vega ivācalam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai yang mulia, apabila gelombang bala tentera Pāṇḍava mendekati Raja Śalya, ia pun terhenti di medan perang—seperti derasnya sungai yang, apabila bertemu gunung, tertahan dan berhenti.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a powerful force can be restrained by a steadfast obstacle: in dharmic-ethical terms, momentum alone does not decide outcomes—discipline, positioning, and firmness (sthiti) can check even a ‘flood’ of power. It also underscores the battlefield reality that leadership and tactical resistance can halt an advancing host.
Sañjaya reports that the Pāṇḍava army, advancing in great strength, reaches King Śalya and then comes to a standstill in the fight, compared to a river’s current being blocked when it meets a mountain.