Shloka 27

Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam

Devanagari script

भीष्मस्तु संहतः संख्ये धार्तराष्ट्री: ससैनिकैः

Transliteration

bhīṣmas tu saṁhataḥ saṅkhye dhārtarāṣṭrīḥ sa-sainikaiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Mitten im Getümmel der Schlacht wurde Bhīṣma hart bedrängt und von den Söhnen Dhṛtarāṣṭras samt ihren Truppen eingeschlossen — ein Bild der düsteren Ironie des Krieges, in dem die Treue zur eigenen Seite selbst den edelsten Krieger in Gefahr und moralische Bedrängnis bringen kann.

Word by Word

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

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

• संहतः: struck down/slain
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सं-हन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, kta (past passive participle)

• संख्ये: in battle
• संख्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• धार्तराष्ट्रीः: the sons/men of Dhritarashtra (Kauravas)
• धार्तराष्ट्रीः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्तराष्ट्रिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• ससैनिकैः: together with (their) soldiers
• ससैनिकैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-सैनिक
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīṣma
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (Kauravas)
• army/troops

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension of war: even a righteous and venerable figure like Bhīṣma can be endangered by the very side he serves, showing how allegiance and duty in a flawed cause can lead to suffering and moral complexity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, amid the fighting, is closely engaged and hemmed in during the battle by the Kaurava party (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons) along with their troops.