Shloka 46
दुद्रुवुर्भीष्ममेवाजौ रक्षिता दृढ्धन्वना । इनके साथ सात्यकि, चेकितान, ट्रुपदकुमार धृष्टद्युम्न, विराट, ट्रुपद, माद्रीकुमार पाण्डुपुत्र नकुल-सहदेवने भी युद्धमें भीष्मपर ही आक्रमण किया। ये सब-के-सब सुदृढ़ धनुष धारण करनेवाले अर्जुनसे सुरक्षित थे ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
dudruvur bhīṣmam evājau rakṣitā dṛḍha-dhanvanā |
sātyakiś cekitānaś ca dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭ drupado madrī-kumārāḥ pāṇḍu-putrau nakula-sahadevau ca |
abhimanyuś ca samare draupadyāḥ pañca cātmajāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle they all rushed straight at Bhīṣma. Protected by the mighty bowman Arjuna, the warriors—Sātyaki, Cekitāna, Drupada’s son Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa, Drupada, the sons of Mādrī (Nakula and Sahadeva), Abhimanyu, and Draupadī’s five sons—together launched their assault upon Bhīṣma. The scene shows a deliberate, collective effort to check an elder’s overwhelming prowess while keeping to the warrior code: confronting the foremost commander directly under Arjuna’s safeguarding leadership.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined collective action under rightful leadership: many warriors coordinate to face an overwhelmingly powerful opponent (Bhīṣma) while remaining protected by a principal defender (Arjuna). Ethically, it reflects kṣatriya-dharma—meeting the foremost threat directly, with strategic unity rather than reckless individualism.
Sañjaya reports that multiple Pāṇḍava-aligned heroes—Sātyaki, Cekitāna, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa, Drupada, Nakula, Sahadeva, Abhimanyu, and Draupadī’s five sons—charge together at Bhīṣma on the battlefield, doing so under Arjuna’s protection.