Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 616
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
भ्रातुस्तुल्यो गुणै: सर्वे रथी पाण्डवम भ्ययात् । तदनन्तर
bhrātus tulyo guṇaiḥ sarve rathī pāṇḍavam abhyayāt |
Sañjaya berkata: Setelah Śalya, raja Madra, terbunuh, adiknya—masih muda namun setara dengan abangnya dalam segala kebajikan—naik ke atas kereta perang lalu mara menyerang Pāṇḍava Yudhiṣṭhira, putera Pāṇḍu.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the kṣatriya ethos where personal loss and lineage loyalty propel continued engagement in battle; it also underscores how war perpetuates cycles of retaliation, testing discernment and restraint even amid duty.
After Śalya, the Madra king, is slain, his younger brother—described as youthful yet equal in virtues—mounts a chariot and charges at Yudhiṣṭhira, escalating the confrontation immediately after the leader’s fall.
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