Shloka 61
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
विस्मयं सर्वभूतानि जम्मुर्भारत संयुगे । भारत! उस संग्राममें उन दोनों श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंके वैसे पराक्रमको देखकर सम्पूर्ण प्राणी बड़े विस्मयमें पड़ गये ।। ६० ई ।। न तयोरविवरं कश्चिद् रणे पश्यति भारत
vismayaṁ sarvabhūtāni jajñur bhārata saṁyuge | na tayor avivaraṁ kaścid raṇe paśyati bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: In that battle, O Bhārata, all beings were struck with astonishment. No one, O Bhārata, could perceive even the slightest opening between those two in the fight—such was the flawless intensity of their combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of disciplined martial excellence: true prowess is shown not merely by aggression but by unwavering vigilance and mastery that leaves no exploitable gap. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s portrayal of kṣatriya-dharma—courage and skill exercised within the demanding order of battle.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the spectacle of two foremost fighters in close combat amazed all observers. Their engagement was so evenly matched and so tightly guarded that no one could detect any vulnerability or opening between them.