Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 42

Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira

Book 9, Chapter 11

Devanagari script

प्रमुखे सहदेवस्य जघानाश्वान्‌ स मद्रराट्‌

Transliteration

pramukhe sahadevasya jaghānāśvān sa madrarāṭ

Translation

三阇耶说道：在战阵最前沿，摩陀罗王击倒了萨诃提婆的战马。

Word by Word

• प्रमुखे: in front / at the forefront
• प्रमुखे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमुख
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सहदेवस्य: of Sahadeva
• सहदेवस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहदेव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• जघान: slew / struck down
• जघान: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• अश्वान्: horses
• अश्वान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मद्रराट्: the king of Madra (Shalya)
• मद्रराट्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद्रराट्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sahadeva
• Madrarāṭ (Śalya, king of Madra)
• horses (chariot-horses)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh battlefield logic within kṣatriya-dharma: victory often comes through tactical disabling of an opponent’s means of fighting (here, the chariot’s horses), showing how war compresses ethics into immediate survival and advantage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya, the king of Madra, attacks at the front lines and kills the horses of Sahadeva’s chariot, attempting to immobilize Sahadeva and weaken his capacity to continue the fight.