Mahabharata 9.11.23 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 11, Shloka 23
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
एकैकं दशभिर्बाणैविव्याध स महाबल: । ततो5सृजद् बाणवर्ष घर्मान्ति मघवानिव
sañjaya uvāca | ekaikaṃ daśabhir bāṇair vivyādha sa mahābalaḥ | tato 'sṛjad bāṇavarṣaṃ gharmānte maghavān iva |
சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்—அந்த மகாபலன் சல்யன் அவர்களில் ஒவ்வொருவரையும் பத்து பத்து அம்புகளால் துளைத்தான். பின்னர் வெப்பகாலத்தின் முடிவில் மவான் இந்திரன் மழையைப் பொழிவதுபோல், அம்புமழையைப் பொழிந்தான்.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impersonal force of warfare: extraordinary skill can rapidly inflict harm on many, and such power becomes a severe test of dharma—whether warriors maintain discipline, restraint, and duty even amid escalating violence.
Sañjaya describes a mighty fighter who first wounds each opponent with ten arrows, then intensifies the assault by releasing a continuous ‘rain’ of arrows, compared to Indra’s rains arriving after the heat of summer.
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