Shloka 3

Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation

Devanagari script

भीष्मो हि समरे क्रुद्धो हन्याल्लोकां श्वराचरान्‌ । स कथं पाण्डवं युद्धे नातरत्‌ संजयौजसा

Transliteration

bhīṣmo hi samare kruddho hanyāl lokān sacarācarān | sa kathaṁ pāṇḍavaṁ yuddhe nātarat sañjayaujasā, sañjaya |

Translation

ধৃতরাষ্ট্র বললেন— সঞ্জয়! ভীষ্ম যদি সমরে ক্রুদ্ধ হন, তবে চল-অচল সকল প্রাণীসহ সমগ্র লোকসমূহও সংহার করতে পারেন। তবে তিনি নিজের পরাক্রমে যুদ্ধে পাণ্ডুকুমার (অর্জুন)-কে কেন পরাস্ত করতে পারলেন না?

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• क्रुद्धः: angered
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रुद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हन्यात्: would/could slay
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• लोकान्: worlds/peoples
• लोकान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• चराचरान्: moving and unmoving (beings)
• चराचरान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चराचर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

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

• कथम्: how/why
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• पाण्डवम्: the Pandava (Arjuna)
• पाण्डवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• युद्धे: in the battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अतरत्: crossed over/overcame
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• संजय: O Sanjaya
• Type: Noun
• Root: संजय
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• ओजसा: by strength/valor
• ओजसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओजस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Bhīṣma
• Arjuna
• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas
• battlefield (raṇa-kṣetra/samara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the tension between sheer martial power and the limits imposed by circumstance, vows, strategy, and dharma: even the mightiest warrior may be unable to ‘overcome’ an opponent when higher constraints and the complex moral-psychological fabric of war are at play.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of events in the war, expresses astonishment: Bhīṣma is famed as capable of destroying entire worlds when angered, so he asks Sañjaya why Bhīṣma could not defeat Arjuna in battle.