Shloka 18
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
चलद्बहुपताकेन बलाकावर्णवाजिना । समुच्छितमहाभीमनदद्वानरकेतुना
sañjaya uvāca | calad-bahu-patākena balākā-varṇa-vājinā | samucchita-mahā-bhīma-nadad-vānara-ketunā | prāyāc charaṇadaḥ śīghraṃ suhṛdāṃ harṣa-vardhanaḥ |
Sañjaya said: With many banners fluttering, drawn by horses white as a line of cranes, and crowned by a lofty standard bearing a monkey that roared with dreadful force, the chariot advanced swiftly. Mounted on that great car, Arjuna—the refuge of those who seek protection and the increaser of his friends’ joy—hurried toward Bhīṣma, striking down the warriors of the Kaurava host along the way.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ideal within warfare: power, speed, and fearsome display are not praised as mere domination but as instruments of responsibility—Arjuna is described as “śaraṇada” (a giver of refuge) and “harṣa-vardhana” (one who increases the joy of friends), suggesting that even in battle the warrior’s identity is tied to protection, loyalty, and purposeful action rather than cruelty.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s magnificent chariot—its many fluttering banners, white horses, and the roaring monkey-emblem on the high standard—and then states that Arjuna advances swiftly toward Bhīṣma, cutting through warriors of the Kaurava host on the way.