Shloka 34
शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः
Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel
मद्रराजस्तु सुभृशं विद्धस्तेन महात्मना । सात्यकिं प्रतिविव्याध चित्रपुड्खै: शितै: शरै:,महामनस्वी सात्यकिके द्वारा अत्यन्त घायल किये हुए मद्रराजने विचित्र पंखवाले पैने बाणोंसे सात्यकिको भी घायल करके बदला चुकाया
madrarājas tu subhṛśaṃ viddhas tena mahātmanā | sātyakiṃ prativivyādha citrapuḍkhaiḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: O rei de Madra, gravemente ferido por aquele guerreiro de grande alma, retaliou traspassando Sātyaki com flechas afiadas, guarnecidas de penas variegadas. No calor da batalha, ferida responde a ferida—uma reciprocidade marcial que faz avançar o ciclo da violência, em vez de restaurar a paz.
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.