Shloka 34
शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः
Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel
मद्रराजस्तु सुभृशं विद्धस्तेन महात्मना । सात्यकिं प्रतिविव्याध चित्रपुड्खै: शितै: शरै:
madrarājas tu subhṛśaṃ viddhas tena mahātmanā | sātyakiṃ prativivyādha citrapuḍkhaiḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Raja Madra, yang parah terluka oleh pahlawan berhati besar itu, membalas dengan menikam Sātyaki menggunakan anak panah tajam yang dihiasi bulu beraneka warna. Dalam bahang perang, luka dibalas dengan luka—suatu timbal balik kepahlawanan yang menggerakkan kitaran keganasan terus berputar, bukannya memulihkan damai.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of retaliation—wounds invite counter-wounds. It implicitly shows how vengeance and martial reciprocity perpetuate suffering, even when performed within the accepted code of kṣatriya warfare.
After being severely wounded by a great warrior, the king of Madra (Śalya) strikes back, shooting Sātyaki with sharp, variegated-feathered arrows.