Shloka 8
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
सात्यकिं पञ्चविंशत्या शल्यो विव्याध मारिष । भीमसेनं तु सप्तत्या नकुलं सप्तभिस्तथा
sātyakiṃ pañcaviṃśatyā śalyo vivyādha māriṣa | bhīmasenaṃ tu saptatyā nakulaṃ saptabhis tathā ||
सञ्जय उवाच—सात्यकिं पञ्चविंशत्या शल्यो विव्याध मारिष। भीमसेनं तु सप्तत्या नकुलं सप्तभिस्तथा॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim discipline of kṣatriya warfare: steadfastness under injury and the measured reporting of violence. Ethically, it points to endurance and duty amid chaos, while also reminding the listener of the escalating cost of conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śalya, fighting on the battlefield, shoots multiple volleys of arrows—25 at Sātyaki, 70 at Bhīma, and 7 at Nakula—showing Śalya’s aggressive momentum against key Pāṇḍava allies.