Shloka 16
Saubha-ākhyāna: Śālva’s Approach and the Fortification of Dvārakā (सौभाख्यानम्—द्वारकायाः सुरक्षाविधानम्)
ततः स विद्धः साम्बेन क्षेमवृद्धिश्चमूपति: । अपायाज्जवनैरश्रै: साम्बबाणप्रपीडित:,साम्बने सेनापति क्षेमवृद्धिको अपने बाणोंसे घायल कर दिया। वह साम्बकी बाणवर्षासे पीड़ित हो शीघ्रगामी अश्वोंकी सहायतासे (लड़ाईका मैदान छोड़कर) भाग गया इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि अर्जुनाभिगमनपर्वणि सौभवधोपाख्याने षोडशो<ध्याय:
tataḥ sa viddhaḥ sāmbenā kṣemavṛddhiś camūpatiḥ | apāyāj javanair aśvaiḥ sāmba-bāṇa-prapīḍitaḥ ||
Então Kṣemavṛddhi, comandante do exército, foi atingido pelas flechas de Sāmba. Atormentado pela chuva incessante de dardos de Sāmba, retirou-se do campo de batalha e fugiu com a ajuda de cavalos velozes.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a practical ethical insight of the battlefield: when one is overpowered and grievously wounded, withdrawal becomes a consequence of lost capacity. It underscores how martial pride is fragile without steadiness and strength, and how actions in war quickly yield visible results.
Sāmba strikes Kṣemavṛddhi, the army commander, with arrows. Afflicted by the barrage, Kṣemavṛddhi retreats from the fight, escaping on swift horses.