Shloka 24
Chapter 89: Bhīma dispatched to protect Ghaṭotkaca amid escalating engagements
भिन्नेषु तेषु व्यूहेषु क्षत्रिया इतरेतरम् । एकमेकं समाहूय युद्धायैवावतस्थिरे,उन सबका व्यूह भंग हो जानेपर भी सम्पूर्ण क्षत्रिय परस्पर एक-एकको ललकारते हुए युद्धके लिये डटे ही रहे
bhinneṣu teṣu vyūheṣu kṣatriyā itaretaram | ekam ekaṃ samāhūya yuddhāyaivāvatasthire ||
Sañjaya sprach: Obwohl ihre Schlachtordnungen zerschlagen waren, wichen die Kṣatriya-Krieger nicht zurück. Einer nach dem anderen forderten sie sich gegenseitig heraus und hielten stand, einzig auf den Kampf entschlossen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness in battle: even when planned formations collapse, warriors continue to face one another directly, emphasizing resolve, personal accountability in combat, and the inexorable ethical burden of war once it is joined.
Sañjaya reports that the organized battle-arrays (vyūhas) have been broken. With strategic order disrupted, the fighters engage more individually—calling out and challenging opponents one by one—yet they do not retreat and remain fixed on fighting.