Shloka 31
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety and Bhīṣma’s Theological Explanation of Pāṇḍava Invincibility
Book 6, Chapter 61
ततो भीष्मश्र द्रोणश्षु सैन्धवश्ष जयद्रथ: । पुरुमित्रो जयो भोज: शल्यश्वापि ससौबल:,तदनन्तर भीष्म, द्रोण, सिन्धुराज जयद्रथ, पुरुमित्र, जय, भोज, शल्य और शकुनि--ये सिंहतुल्यपराक्रमी रणदुर्जय वीर पाण्डवोंकी सेनाको बार-बार भंग करने लगे
tato bhīṣmaś ca droṇaś ca saindhavaś ca jayadrathaḥ | purumitraḥ jayo bhojaḥ śalyaś cāpi sasaubalaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Dann brachen Bhīṣma und Droṇa und Jayadratha, der König von Sindhu, zusammen mit Purumitra, Jaya, Bhoja, Śalya und Śakuni aus der Saubala-Linie—Helden von löwenhafter Kraft und schwer zu bezwingen im Kampf—immer wieder das Heer der Pāṇḍavas und zerstreuten es.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the relentless momentum of war: repeated tactical success can fracture even a strong army. Ethically, it points to the grim reality that prowess and coordination, when applied without restraint, magnify suffering and pressure the combatants’ commitment to dharma amid violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that leading Kaurava champions—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Jayadratha, and others including Śalya and Śakuni—are repeatedly breaking the formations of the Pāṇḍava forces, indicating Kaurava battlefield dominance at this moment.