Shloka 556

भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्

Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash

Devanagari script

राजन्नन्तरमार्गस्थौ स्थितावास्तां मुहुर्मुहुः | राजन! दोनों ही एक-दूसरेके प्रहारोंमें छिद्र ढूँढ़नेके लिये सतर्क थे। वे बारंबार छिद्रान्वेषणके मार्गमें स्थित हो छिद्र देखनेमें संलग्न रहते थे

Transliteration

rājann antaramārgasthau sthitāv āstāṃ muhur muhuḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, the two warriors again and again held their ground on the very line of advance, ever watchful, repeatedly seeking an opening in one another’s blows. In that tense interval of combat, each strove to find a vulnerable gap.

Word by Word

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• अन्तरमार्गस्थौ: standing in the in-between path/interval (i.e., in the opening-seeking course)
• अन्तरमार्गस्थौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्तरमार्गस्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• स्थितौ: standing, stationed
• स्थितौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• आस्ताम्: they two remained/sat
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Dual, Parasmaipada

• मुहुः: again and again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः

• मुहुः: repeatedly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra (addressed as Rājan)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the disciplined vigilance of warriors: in righteous combat, success depends not only on strength but on steady attention, timing, and self-control—qualities central to kṣatriya conduct and the ethical gravity of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes two combatants who repeatedly pause in a poised stance, watching for a ‘gap’ or opening in each other’s defense, continually seeking the right moment to strike.