Shloka 7
अध्याय ५५ — भीष्मस्य प्रचण्डविक्रमः, अर्जुनप्रत्युत्तरं, कृष्णस्य चक्रोद्यतिः
Chapter 55: Bhīṣma’s onslaught, Arjuna’s counter, and Kṛṣṇa’s raised discus
संस्थाना: शूरसेनाश्न वेत्रिका: कुकुरास्तथा । आरोचकासल्त्रिगर्ताश्न मद्रका यवनास्तथा
saṃsthānāḥ śūrasenāś ca vetrikāḥ kukurās tathā | ārocakās trigartāś ca madrakā yavanās tathā ||
Sañjaya said: “Let the Saṃsthānas, the Śūrasenas, the Vetrikas, the Kukuras, the Ārocakas, the Trigartas, the Madrakas, and the Yavanas as well—together with the warriors Śatruñjaya, Duḥśāsana, the valiant Vikarṇa, Nanda, Upananda, Citraseṇa, and Pāribhadra—advance with their troops placed in front and devote themselves to guarding Bhīṣma alone.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a wartime ethic of safeguarding the central commander: when a leader embodies discipline and cohesion, protecting him becomes a strategic and moral priority for the army’s stability, even amid a broader conflict where dharma is contested.
Sañjaya reports a directive that multiple allied peoples and named Kaurava warriors should move forward with their troops and concentrate on guarding Bhīṣma, indicating the Kauravas’ dependence on Bhīṣma’s leadership in the opening phases of the Kurukṣetra war.