Shloka 34

शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः

Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel

Devanagari script

मद्रराजस्तु सुभृशं विद्धस्तेन महात्मना । सात्यकिं प्रतिविव्याध चित्रपुड्खै: शितै: शरै:

Transliteration

madrarājas tu subhṛśaṃ viddhas tena mahātmanā | sātyakiṃ prativivyādha citrapuḍkhaiḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：摩陀罗王被那位大心之士重创之后，便以羽翎斑斓、锋利无比的箭矢回射萨底耶迦，使其亦受创。战火炽烈之中，伤害以伤害相报——这般武人式的对等报复，只会推动暴力的轮回继续前行，而非带来安宁。

Word by Word

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

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सुभृशम्: exceedingly, greatly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सुभृश

• विद्धः: pierced/wounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: विध्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तेन: by him/with that (person)
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• महात्मना: by the great-souled one
• महात्मना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• सात्यकिम्: Satyaki
• सात्यकिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्यकि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रतिविव्याध: pierced in return, counter-wounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-व्यध् (√व्यध्)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• चित्रपुड्खैः: with variegated-feathered (arrows)
• चित्रपुड्खैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्रपुड्ख
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शितैः: with sharp
• शितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शित
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शरैः: arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Madrarāja (Śalya)
• Sātyaki
• śara (arrows)
• citrapuḍkha (variegated-feathered arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of retaliation—wounds invite counter-wounds. It implicitly shows how vengeance and martial reciprocity perpetuate suffering, even when performed within the accepted code of kṣatriya warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

After being severely wounded by a great warrior, the king of Madra (Śalya) strikes back, shooting Sātyaki with sharp, variegated-feathered arrows.