Shloka 25

Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam

Devanagari script

तथैव भगदत्तश्न श्रुतायुश्न महाबल:

Transliteration

tathaiva bhagadattaś ca śrutāyuś ca mahābalaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Likewise, Bhagadatta and Śrutāyu—both men of great strength—(advanced and joined the battle).” The line underscores how, in the moral turbulence of war, renowned warriors are drawn into the same destructive momentum, their personal prowess becoming an instrument within a larger, fateful conflict.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed, just, also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• भगदत्तः: Bhagadatta (proper name)
• भगदत्तः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगदत्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• श्रुतायुः: Śrutāyu (proper name)
• श्रुतायुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुतायु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• महाबलः: mighty, of great strength
• महाबलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• भगदत्त (Bhagadatta)
• श्रुतायु (Śrutāyu)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even extraordinary strength (mahābala) is ethically ambivalent in war: prowess becomes meaningful only by the cause it serves. The verse, by listing mighty fighters, invites reflection on how personal valor can be absorbed into collective conflict and its consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya continues his battlefield report by naming additional powerful warriors—Bhagadatta and Śrutāyu—indicating that they too are participating in the ongoing combat, alongside others previously mentioned.