Shloka 18
अध्याय ५५ — भीष्मस्य प्रचण्डविक्रमः, अर्जुनप्रत्युत्तरं, कृष्णस्य चक्रोद्यतिः
Chapter 55: Bhīṣma’s onslaught, Arjuna’s counter, and Kṛṣṇa’s raised discus
सौमदत्ति: सुशर्मा च काम्बोजश्न सुदक्षिण: । श्रुतायुश्नाच्युतायुश्न दक्षिणं पक्षमास्थिता:
saumadattiḥ suśarmā ca kāmbojaś ca sudakṣiṇaḥ | śrutāyuś cācyutāyuś ca dakṣiṇaṃ pakṣam āsthitāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: On the southern wing of the Kaurava host stood Somadatta’s son, Bhūriśravas, along with Suśarmā, the Kāmboja king Sudakṣiṇa, and the warriors Śrutāyu and Acyutāyu. Stationed there, they guarded that flank—an ordered placement of commanders, showing that the war was waged not as a chaotic brawl but as a disciplined deployment bound to duty.
(संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a destructive conflict, the epic highlights order, responsibility, and role-based duty: commanders are assigned to protect specific flanks, showing that action (karma) is undertaken with structure and accountability rather than impulsive violence.
Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the Kaurava battle-array and its defenders. In this verse he lists the warriors positioned on the southern wing—Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas), Suśarmā, Sudakṣiṇa, Śrutāyu, and Acyutāyu—who are tasked with guarding that side of the army.