Shloka 30
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
विराट: सह पुत्रेण धृष्टद्युम्नश्व पार्षत: । भीमश्न केकयाश्रैव सात्यकिश्नू विशाम्पते
sañjaya uvāca |
virāṭaḥ saha putreṇa dhṛṣṭadyumnaś ca pārṣataḥ |
bhīmaś ca kekayāś caiva sātyakiś ca viśāmpate ||
rājan, tadā putra-sahitaḥ virāṭaḥ, drupada-kumāraḥ dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ, bhīmasenaḥ, kekaya-rāja-kumāraḥ (pañca), tathā sātyakiḥ—ete pāṇḍava-pakṣasya mahā-dhanurdharā daśa mahā-rathāḥ abhimanyor rakṣārthaṃ rathaiḥ tūrṇaṃ tatra dhāvamānāḥ samupāyayuḥ |
Sañjaya said: “O lord of men, Virāṭa with his son, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna the son of Pārṣata (Drupada), and Bhīma, and the Kekaya princes, and Sātyaki—these ten great chariot-warriors, mighty bowmen of the Pāṇḍava side, swiftly drove their chariots to that place to protect Abhimanyu. The scene underscores the kṣatriya duty of guarding a comrade in peril and the collective resolve to uphold their cause through loyal protection rather than abandonment.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the midst of war, dharma for kṣatriyas includes steadfast protection of comrades and fulfilling one’s duty without desertion; the verse highlights solidarity and responsibility toward a vulnerable ally (Abhimanyu).
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that leading Pāṇḍava-side warriors—Virāṭa with his son, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Bhīma, the Kekaya princes, and Sātyaki—rush by chariot to the battlefield location to safeguard Abhimanyu.