Shloka 13
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
तत:ः शरशतैस्ती&णैर्मद्रराजो महारथ: । अर्दयामास तां सेनां धर्मराजस्य पश्यत:,तब महारथी मद्रराज धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरके देखते-देखते उनकी सेनाको अपने सैकड़ों तीखे बाणोंसे संतप्त करने लगे
tataḥ śaraśatais tīkṣṇair madrarājo mahārathaḥ | ardayāmāsa tāṃ senāṃ dharmarājasya paśyataḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: Rồi vua xứ Madra, bậc đại chiến xa, với hàng trăm mũi tên sắc nhọn, bắt đầu quấy nhiễu và thiêu đốt đạo quân ấy—ngay trước mắt Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical strain of war: even a righteous ruler (Dharmarāja) must witness his forces being overwhelmed by an opponent’s martial excellence. It points to the responsibility of leadership in adversity and the reality that dharma is tested amid relentless violence.
Sañjaya reports that the Madra king Śalya, an elite chariot-warrior, showers Yudhiṣṭhira’s army with hundreds of sharp arrows, severely harassing it, and does so openly while Yudhiṣṭhira watches.