Shloka 42
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
ते शरा मद्रराजेन प्रेषिता रणमूर्थनि । सम्पतन्तः सम दृश्यन्ते शलभानां व्रजा इव,युद्धके मुहानेपर मद्रराजके चलाये हुए वे बाण शलभसमूहोंके समान गिरते दिखायी देते थे
te śarā madrarājena preṣitā raṇamūrdhani | sampatantaḥ sama dṛśyante śalabhānāṃ vrajā iva ||
میدانِ جنگ کے عین اگلے حصے میں مدرراج کے چلائے ہوئے وہ تیر اس قدر گھنی لڑی میں برستے تھے کہ ٹڈی دل کے جھنڈ کی مانند دکھائی دیتے تھے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile to convey how concentrated martial force can overwhelm a battlefield. Implicitly, it invites reflection on the ethical gravity of warfare: even when undertaken as kṣatriya-dharma, violence manifests as a destructive flood that demands sobriety and responsibility.
Sañjaya describes the battle scene: the king of Madra (Śalya) shoots arrows at the battlefront, and their massed descent appears like swarms of locusts, emphasizing the intensity and volume of his attack.