Shalya Parva Adhyaya 17 Shloka 10 - Mahabharata | Tamil | Vedapath

Vyasa

Shloka 10

Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)

Devanagari script

संरक्षितो भीमसेनेन राजा माद्रीसुता भ्यामथ माधवेन । मद्राधिपं पत्रिभिरुग्रवेगै: स्तनान्तरे धर्मसुतो निजघ्ने

Transliteration

saṁrakṣito bhīmasenena rājā mādrīsutābhyām atha mādhavena | madrādhipaṁ patribhir ugravegaiḥ stanāntare dharmasuto nijaghne ||

Translation

பீமசேனன், மாத்ரியின் இரு புதல்வர்கள் மற்றும் மாதவனின் தோழன் சாத்தியகி ஆகியோரின் பாதுகாப்பில் இருந்த தர்மபுத்திரன் அரசன் யுதிஷ்டிரன், கடும் வேகமுடைய இறகுகள் பொருந்திய அம்புகளால் மதிரநாட்டு அதிபதி சல்யனை மார்பில் தாக்கினான்.

Word by Word

saṃrakṣitaḥprotected/guarded

bhīmasenenaby Bhīmasena

rājāthe king

mādrīsutābhyāmby Mādrī’s two sons (Nakula and Sahadeva)

athathen/and then

mādhavenaby Mādhava (here: Sātyaki/Kṛṣṇa epithet; context favors Sātyaki)

madrādhipamthe lord of Madra (Śalya)

patribhiḥwith arrows (lit. feathered ones)

ugravegaiḥof fierce speed

stanāntarein the space between the breasts (on the chest)

dharmasutaḥDharma’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira)

nijaghnestruck/slew

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmasuta, Dharmaputra)

Bhīmasena

Nakula

Sahadeva

Mādhava (epithet associated with Kṛṣṇa; indicating Kṛṣṇa’s side/ally)

Sātyaki

Śalya (Madrādhipa, king of Madra)

Madra (kingdom)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a dharma-minded ruler must sometimes act decisively in war when duty demands it. The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma: facing danger openly, relying on righteous allies, and using legitimate means in battle to neutralize a grave threat.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira, protected by Bhīma, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Kṛṣṇa’s ally Sātyaki, shoots Śalya—the king of Madra—in the chest with swift, powerful arrows during the Kurukṣetra battle.