Shloka 46
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
तावुभौ शरवर्षाभ्यां समासाद्य परस्परम् | परस्परवधे यत्नं चक्रतु: सुमहारथौ,उन्होंने दूसरा धनुष हाथमें लेकर सुषेणके साथ युद्ध आरम्भ कर दिया। वे दोनों महारथी वीर बाणोंकी वर्षाद्वारा एक-दूसरेसे टक्कर लेकर परस्पर वधके लिये प्रयत्न करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca |
tāv ubhau śaravarṣābhyāṃ samāsādya parasparam |
parasparavadhe yatnaṃ cakratuḥ sumahārathau ||
Sañjaya nói: Áp sát nhau, hai vị đại chiến xa ấy gặp nhau trong mưa tên. Mỗi người đều nhắm đến cái chết của đối phương—một cuộc đấu không khoan nhượng, nơi sức mạnh và ý chí bị uốn về sự hủy diệt lẫn nhau.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse starkly frames the battlefield ethic of the Kṣatriya world: elite warriors, once engaged, press forward with unwavering resolve, even when the immediate aim becomes the opponent’s death. It highlights how martial duty and personal valor can intensify conflict into a cycle of reciprocal violence, inviting reflection on the moral cost of war.
Sanjaya narrates a close-quarters escalation: two foremost chariot-warriors advance toward each other and exchange dense volleys of arrows. The encounter becomes a direct duel in which both actively attempt to kill the other.