Shloka 31
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
अभ्यवर्तत पाज्चाल्य: संयुक्त: सह सोमकै: । तदनन्तर गंगानन्दन भीष्मका प्रिय करनेमें लगे हुए महाधनुर्धर द्रोणाचार्यपर सोमकोंसहित धृष्टद्युम्नने आक्रमण किया ।।
abhyávartata pāñcālyaḥ saṁyuktaḥ saha somakaiḥ | tadanantaraṁ gaṅgānandana-bhīṣmaka-priya-karaṇeṣu lagne mahādhanuṣdhare droṇācārye somakaiḥ saha dhṛṣṭadyumno 'bhyākrāmat || bhīṣmas tu rathināṁ śreṣṭhī rājan vivyādha pāṇḍavam ||
Sañjaya said: Dhrishtadyumna of the Pañchālas, joined with the Somakas, advanced. Thereafter, while Droṇācārya, the great bowman, was engaged in deeds meant to please Bhīṣma, Dhrishtadyumna—together with the Somakas—assailed him. But Bhīṣma, foremost among chariot-warriors, O King, struck the Pāṇḍava with his arrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of loyalty and duty: Droṇa acts in a way meant to support and please his commander Bhīṣma, while Dhrishtadyumna presses his vowed enmity against Droṇa. It underscores how personal vows, allegiance, and role-based dharma shape conduct in war.
Dhrishtadyumna, supported by the Somakas, advances and attacks Droṇa while Droṇa is engaged in actions aligned with Bhīṣma’s interests. In response within the broader clash, Bhīṣma—preeminent among chariot-fighters—wounds a Pāṇḍava with arrows.