Shloka 3
Kṛṣṇasya asāṃnidhya-kāraṇaṃ — Śālva–Soubha-vṛttāntaḥ
Why Kṛṣṇa was absent; the Śālva and Saubha account
अरुन्धत्तां सुदुष्टात्मा सर्वतः पाण्डुनन्दन । शाल्वो वैहायसं चापि तत् पुरं व्यूह्ा विछ्ठित:,पाण्डुनन्दन! उस दुष्टात्मा शाल्वने सेनाद्वारा द्वारकापुरीको सब ओरसे घेर लिया था। वह स्वयं आकाशचारी विमान सौभपर व्यूहरचनापूर्वक विराजमान हो रहा था
arundhattāṁ suduṣṭātmā sarvataḥ pāṇḍunandana | śālvo vaihāyasaṁ cāpi tat puraṁ vyūha-vicchitaḥ ||
Vāyu disse: “Ó filho de Pāṇḍu, o perverso Śālva cercou Arundhatī por todos os lados com seu exército. Ele próprio, postado no Saubha-vimāna que singrava os céus e disposto em formação de batalha, intensificou o assalto contra aquela cidade.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames aggressive, deceitful warfare as a mark of a corrupted inner nature (suduṣṭātmā). It implicitly contrasts righteous conduct with adharma expressed through intimidation, encirclement, and aerial advantage used for oppression.
Vāyu narrates that King Śālva has surrounded the target (named Arundhatī here) from all sides and is conducting the attack while positioned in the sky-borne Saubha-vimāna, deployed with a deliberate battle-array against the city.