Shloka 6
भीष्मस्य शरवर्षः — Bhīṣma’s Arrow-Storm and Kṛṣṇa’s Impulse to Intervene
अश्वत्थामा, सोमदत्त तथा अवन्तीके दोनों राजकुमार महारथी विन्द और अनुविन्द-- ये विशाल सेनाके साथ व्यूहके वाम पक्षका संरक्षण कर रहे थे ।। दुर्योधनो महाराज त्रिगर्ते: सर्वतो वृत: । व्यूहमध्ये स्थितो राजन् पाण्डवान् प्रति भारत,महाराज! भरतवंशी नरेश! त्रिगर्तदेशीय सैनिकोंके द्वारा सब ओरसे घिरा हुआ दुर्योधन पाण्डवोंका सामना करनेके लिये व्यूहके मध्यभागमें खड़ा हुआ
sañjaya uvāca |
aśvatthāmā somadatta tathāvantīke ubhau rājakumārāv mahārathī vindānuvindau—ete viśālena senayā vyūhasya vāma-pakṣa-saṃrakṣaṇaṃ kurvanti ||
duryodhano mahārāja trigarteḥ sarvato vṛtaḥ |
vyūha-madhye sthito rājan pāṇḍavān prati bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: Aśvatthāmā, Somadatta, and the two princes of Avanti—Vinda and Anuvinda, all great chariot-warriors—were guarding the left wing of the battle-array with a vast force. And King Duryodhana, O great king, scion of Bharata, surrounded on all sides by the Trigarta troops, stood in the very center of the formation, facing the Pāṇḍavas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores disciplined organization and leadership in war: commanders assign elite warriors to protect vulnerable flanks while the leader holds the center to meet the enemy head-on. Ethically, it also reflects the Mahabharata’s recurring tension—martial duty and courage operating within a conflict whose righteousness is contested.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra the Kaurava deployment: Ashvatthama, Somadatta, and the Avanti princes Vinda and Anuvinda guard the left wing with a large force, while Duryodhana, encircled by Trigarta troops, stands in the center of the formation ready to confront the Pandavas.