Shloka 563
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
सम्यग्घुत इव स्विष्ट: प्रशान्तो 5ग्निरिवा ध्वरे । उस धर्मानुकूल युद्धमें धर्मात्मा धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरके द्वारा मारे गये राजा शल्य यज्ञमें विधिपूर्वक घीकी आहुति पाकर शान्त होनेवाली “स्विष्टकृत्” अग्निके समान सर्वथा शान्त हो गये
saṃyagghuta iva sviṣṭaḥ praśānto 'gnir iva adhvare | dharmānukūle yuddhe dharmātmā dharmaputreṇa yudhiṣṭhireṇa māritaḥ rājā śalyaḥ yajñe vidhivat ghṛtāhutibhiḥ praśāmyamānaḥ “sviṣṭakṛt” agniḥ iva sarvathā praśānto 'bhavat ||
Sañjaya disse: Nessa guerra conduzida de acordo com o dharma, o rei Śalya—morto pelo justo Yudhiṣṭhira, o filho de Dharma—tornou-se inteiramente sereno, como o fogo sacrificial chamado Sviṣṭakṛt, que se apazigua quando o ghee é oferecido corretamente no rito.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a battlefield death within the moral order of dharma: when combat is dharma-consistent and performed as duty, its outcome is portrayed as a pacification rather than chaotic cruelty—like a ritual fire settling after proper offerings.
Sañjaya reports that King Śalya has been slain by Yudhiṣṭhira in a dharma-aligned battle, and he describes Śalya’s end through a yajña metaphor: like the Sviṣṭakṛt sacrificial fire that becomes calm after duly receiving ghee oblations, Śalya becomes completely stilled.