Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 47
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
ते च्छन्ना: समरे तेन पाण्डवानां महारथा:
te cchannāḥ samare tena pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathāḥ
ਸੰਜਯ ਬੋਲਿਆ—ਉਸ ਸਮਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਪਾਂਡਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਉਹ ਮਹਾਰਥੀ ਉਸ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਹਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਦਬ ਗਏ; ਹਥਿਆਰਾਂ ਦੀ ਟੱਕਰ ਦੇ ਵਿਚਕਾਰ ਉਹ ਉਸ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਚਾਰੋਂ ਪਾਸੇ ਤੋਂ ਢੱਕੇ ਜਾਪੇ, ਅਤੇ ਉਸ ਦੀ ਚੜ੍ਹਾਈ ਨਾਲ ਯੁੱਧ ਦੀ ਧਾਰਾ ਹੀ ਪਲਟ ਗਈ।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the volatility of war: even the foremost heroes (mahārathas) can be suddenly pressed and obscured by a single opponent’s momentum. Ethically, it highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring reminder that prowess is real yet unstable, and that outcomes in battle are shaped by circumstance, resolve, and the larger moral-cosmic order.
Sañjaya reports that, during the fighting, the Pāṇḍavas’ leading chariot-warriors were ‘covered/overwhelmed’ by a particular warrior’s assault—suggesting a moment where the enemy’s attack dominated the field and forced the Pāṇḍava champions into a pressured, obscured situation.
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