Shloka 1
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
#5०3८६>> हज # सप्तचत्वारिशो<्ध्याय: भीष्मके साथ अभिमन्युका भयंकर युद्ध
sañjaya uvāca | gatapūrvāhnabhūyiṣṭhe tasminn ahani dāruṇe | vartamāne tathā raudre mahāvīravarakṣaye | rājann atibhayaṅkare tasmin saṅgrāme tava putrājñayā durmukhaḥ kṛtavarmā kṛpācāryaḥ śalyaś ca viviṃśatiś ca tatra samāgatya bhīṣmasya rakṣāṃ cakruḥ |
Sanjaya said: O King, when the forenoon of that exceedingly dreadful day had mostly passed, and the fierce battle—bringing destruction upon the foremost of great heroes—was raging on, then, at your son’s command, Durmukha, Kṛtavarmā, Kṛpācārya, Śalya, and Viviṃśati came there and set themselves to protect Bhīṣma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension between loyalty to authority and the broader ethical cost of war: obedience and factional duty can sustain a conflict that destroys even the greatest heroes, urging reflection on responsibility for collective violence.
As the battle intensifies later in the morning, Duryodhana orders key Kaurava warriors—Durmukha, Kṛtavarmā, Kṛpa, Śalya, and Viviṃśati—to gather and form a protective guard around Bhīṣma.