Shloka 15
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
तयोर्धनुज्यातलनि:स्वनो महान् महेन्द्रवजञाशनितुल्यनि:स्वन: । परस्परं बाणगणैर्महात्मनो: प्रवर्षतोर्मद्रपपाण्डुवीरयो:
tayor dhanurjyātala-niḥsvano mahān mahendra-vajrāśani-tulya-niḥsvanaḥ | parasparaṃ bāṇa-gaṇair mahātmanoḥ pravarṣator madrapa-pāṇḍu-vīrayoḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: Entre aqueles dois magnânimos—o rei de Madra e o herói Pāṇḍava—enquanto se banhavam mutuamente com saraivadas de flechas, ergueu-se um som poderoso: o estalo de suas cordas de arco, como o estrondo do raio de Indra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the gravity and discipline of kṣatriya combat: even amid destructive force, the warriors’ steadfastness and skill are emphasized. The ethical frame is the warrior code—courage, endurance, and resolve—rather than personal malice, conveyed through elevated, cosmic imagery (Indra’s thunderbolt).
Sañjaya describes a fierce exchange between the king of Madra (Śalya) and a Pāṇḍava hero (Nakula). As both rain volleys of arrows at each other, the sound of their bows and bowstrings becomes immense, compared to the crash of Indra’s vajra.