शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
भारद्वाजस्य हन्तारं भूरिवीर्यपराक्रमम्
bhāradvājasya hantāraṃ bhūrivīryaparākramam
सञ्जय उवाच—भारद्वाजस्य पुत्रहन्तारं भूरिवीर्यपराक्रमं समरे दारुणे धर्मसंमूढे स्थिताṃ ददर्श; यत्र शौर्यं च वधभारश्च परस्परं न व्यभिचरन्ति।
संजय उवाच
The line highlights a recurring Mahābhārata tension: martial excellence (vīrya, parākrama) is praised, yet it is inseparable from the grave moral weight of being a 'hantā' (slayer). It invites reflection on kṣatriya duty and the ethical cost of victory.
Sañjaya, reporting the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, identifies a formidable warrior by a defining deed—having slain Bhāradvāja’s son—and characterizes him as exceptionally powerful and valorous.