Shloka 18
अभिद्रवत गाड़ेयं सोमका: सृजजयै: सह । उस समय समरभूमिमें पाण्डव-सेनापति महारथी धृष्टद्युम्नने अपनी सेनासे कहा --'सोमको! तुम सूंजय वीरोंको साथ लेकर गंगानन्दन भीष्मपर टूट पड़ो” ।।
sañjaya uvāca | abhidravat gāḍeyaṃ somakāḥ sṛñjayaiḥ saha | tadā samara-bhūmau pāṇḍava-senāpatiḥ mahārathī dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ svāṃ senām uvāca— “somakāḥ! yūyaṃ sṛñjaya-vīraiḥ saha gaṅgā-nandanaṃ bhīṣmaṃ prati tūṭa patata” || senāpati-vacaḥ śrutvā somakāḥ sṛñjayāś ca te … |
Sañjaya said: The Somakas, together with the Sṛñjayas, charged fiercely. Then, on the battlefield, the Pāṇḍava commander-in-chief, the great chariot-warrior Dhṛṣṭadyumna, addressed his troops: “Somakas! With the Sṛñjaya heroes beside you, rush upon Bhīṣma, the son of the Gaṅgā!” Hearing the commander’s words, those Somakas and Sṛñjayas… advanced accordingly.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores disciplined collective action in a dharmic war: troops are expected to follow the commander’s directive with unity and resolve. It also reflects the ethical tension of Kurukṣetra—duty to one’s cause can require confronting revered elders like Bhīṣma.
Sañjaya reports that the Somakas and Sṛñjayas surge forward. Dhṛṣṭadyumna, leading the Pāṇḍava forces, commands them to attack Bhīṣma (Gaṅgā’s son). On hearing this order, they prepare to advance against him.