Shloka 176

भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः

Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed

Devanagari script

शैनेयं योधयामासुर्भष्मायाभ्युद्यतं रणे । 'सात्यकिके मारे जानेपर मैं पाण्डवोंकी विशाल सेनाको मरी हुई ही मानता हूँ।' दुर्योधनकी इस बातको मानकर कौरव महारथियोंने रणभूमिमें भीष्मका सामना करनेके लिये उद्यत हुए सात्यकिसे युद्ध आरम्भ किया

Transliteration

śaineyaṃ yodhayāmāsur bhasmāyābhyudyataṃ raṇe |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Die Krieger der Kauravas stürzten sich im Kampf auf Śaineya (Sātyaki), als er im Getümmel voranschritt, entschlossen, seine Feinde zu Asche zu machen. Duryodhanas Wort als maßgeblich nehmend—„Wenn Sātyaki fällt, halte ich das gewaltige Heer der Pāṇḍavas für tot“—begannen die Mahārathas der Kauravas den Kampf gegen Sātyaki, der sich erhoben hatte, um Bhīṣma auf dem Schlachtfeld zu begegnen.

Word by Word

शैनेयम्Shaineya (Sātyaki)

योधयामासुःthey fought / they engaged (him) in battle

भस्मायfor destruction; to ashes

अभ्युद्यतम्raised up; ready/poised (for attack)

रणेin battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Śaineya (Sātyaki)

Duryodhana

Kauravas

Pāṇḍavas

Bhīṣma

battlefield (raṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, leaders and warriors may treat outcomes as foregone conclusions—equating the fall of a key champion with the collapse of an entire cause. Ethically, it warns against fatalistic certainty and shows how strategic assumptions can intensify violence and harden resolve.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sātyaki (Śaineya) advances in battle with fierce intent. Accepting Duryodhana’s judgment about the decisive importance of Sātyaki, the Kaurava elite warriors engage him directly, beginning a focused fight against him as he moves to confront Bhīṣma.