Shloka 51

शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिरं समाजघ्ने सर्वसैन्यस्य पश्यत: । राजाधिराज! फिर उन्होंने सारी सेनाके देखते-देखते झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणसे युधिष्ठिरको घायल कर दिया ।। धर्मराजो5पि संक्रुद्धों मद्रराज॑ं महायशा:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | yudhiṣṭhiraṁ samājaghne sarvasainyasya paśyataḥ | rājādhirāja! tataḥ sa sarvāḥ senāḥ paśyantya eva granthibhir avanatāgraiḥ śaraiḥ yudhiṣṭhiraṁ vyathayām āsa | dharmarājo ’pi saṅkruddho madrarājaṁ mahāyaśāḥ |

Translation

సంజయుడు పలికెను—సర్వసైన్యం చూస్తుండగానే అతడు యుధిష్ఠిరుని కొట్టెను. ఓ రాజాధిరాజా, నత-సంధులు గల బాణంతో యుధిష్ఠిరుని గాయపరచెను. అప్పుడు మహాయశస్సుగల ధర్మరాజు యుధిష్ఠిరుడు మద్రరాజుపై క్రోధోద్రిక్తుడయ్యెను.

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरम्Yudhiṣṭhira (as object)

समाजघ्नेstruck/beat down

सर्वसैन्यस्यof the entire army

पश्यतःwhile (it/they) were watching; in the presence of

राजाधिराजO king of kings

धर्मराजःDharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)

अपिalso/even

संक्रुद्धःenraged

मद्रराजम्the king of Madra (Śalya)

महायशाःof great fame

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja)

Madrarāja (Śalya)

the army (sarvasainya)

arrows (śara)

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?

The verse highlights the ethical tension in war: public injury to a righteous leader provokes anger, yet the narrative implicitly tests whether a dharma-centered king can respond with disciplined kṣatriya resolve rather than uncontrolled wrath.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Śalya, the king of Madra, wounds Yudhiṣṭhira in full view of the assembled armies using distinctive knotty, downward-bent arrows; Yudhiṣṭhira then becomes enraged and turns his attention against Śalya.