Shloka 9

शल्यवधे कौरवसेनाभङ्गः, भीमस्य गदायुद्धं, दुर्योधनस्य समाह्वानम्

Rout after Śalya’s fall; Bhīma’s mace engagement; Duryodhana’s rally

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिरं परीप्सन्त: समन्तात्‌ पर्यवारयन्‌ । तदनन्तर अर्जुन, भीमसेन, माद्रीपुत्र पाण्डुकुमार नकुल, सहदेव, पुरुषसिंह सात्यकि, द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्र, धृष्टद्युम्म, शिखण्डी, पांचाल और सोमक वीर--इन सबने युधिष्ठिरकी रक्षाके लिये उन्हें चारों ओरसे घेर लिया || ७-८ ई ।।

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | yudhiṣṭhiraṃ parīpsantaḥ samantāt paryavārayan | tadanantaraṃ arjunaḥ bhīmasenaḥ mādrīputrau pāṇḍukumārau nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca puruṣasiṃhaḥ sātyakiḥ draupadyāḥ pañca putrāḥ dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ śikhaṇḍī pañcālāḥ somakā vīrāś ca—ete sarve yudhiṣṭhirasya rakṣārthaṃ taṃ caturdiśaṃ paryavārayan | te samantāt parivṛtāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ puruṣarṣabhāḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya sagte: In dem Verlangen, Yudhiṣṭhira zu ergreifen, schlossen sich die feindlichen Scharen von allen Seiten um ihn. Da bildeten Arjuna, Bhīmasena, die Söhne Mādrīs — Nakula und Sahadeva —, Sātyaki, der Löwe unter den Menschen, Draupadīs fünf Söhne, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍī sowie die tapferen Krieger der Pāñcālas und Somakas einen schützenden Ring um Yudhiṣṭhira und bewachten ihn nach allen Seiten. So umstellt standen die Pāṇḍavas — Stiere unter den Menschen — unbeugsam fest.

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'yudhiṣṭhiram': 'Yudhiṣṭhira (accusative), the eldest Pāṇḍava', 'parīpsantaḥ': 'desiring to seize/capture

• seeking to obtain', 'samantāt': 'from all sides

• on every side', 'paryavārayan': 'they surrounded/encircled', 'tadanantaram': 'thereafter

• immediately after that', 'mādrīputrau': 'the two sons of Mādrī (Nakula and Sahadeva)', 'pāṇḍukumārau': 'the Pāṇḍu-princes', 'puruṣasiṃha': 'lion among men

• eminent hero', 'rakṣārtham': 'for the sake of protection', 'caturdiśam': 'on the four sides/directions', 'parivṛtāḥ': 'enclosed

• protected by a ring', 'pāṇḍavāḥ': 'the Pāṇḍavas', 'puruṣarṣabhāḥ': 'bulls among men

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Arjuna
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Nakula
• Sahadeva
• Mādrī
• Pāṇḍu
• Sātyaki
• Draupadī
• Draupadī’s five sons (Upapāṇḍavas)
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• Śikhaṇḍī
• Pāñcālas
• Somakas
• Enemy forces (unnamed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights collective dharma in a crisis: the foremost duty of allied warriors is to protect the righteous leader (Yudhiṣṭhira). Courage is expressed not merely by attacking, but by disciplined solidarity—forming a protective formation to preserve the moral and strategic center of the army.

What is happening in the narrative?

Enemy warriors attempt to close in and capture Yudhiṣṭhira. In response, Arjuna, Bhīma, Nakula, Sahadeva, Sātyaki, Draupadī’s sons, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍī, and the Pāñcāla and Somaka fighters encircle him, creating a defensive ring to prevent his seizure.