Shloka 107
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
त॑ सात्यकिर्भीमसेनो धृष्टय्युम्नश्व॒ पार्षत: । अभ्यद्रवन्त भीष्मस्य रथं हेमपरिष्कृतम्,भीष्मके उस सुवर्णभूषित रथपर सात्यकि, भीमसेन तथा द्रुपदकुमार धृष्टद्युम्नने एक साथ ही धावा किया
taṁ sātyakir bhīmaseno dhṛṣṭadyumnaś ca pārṣataḥ | abhyadravanta bhīṣmasya rathaṁ hemapariṣkṛtam ||
Sañjaya said: Sātyaki, Bhīmasena, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna—the son of Pārṣata (Drupada)—together charged straight at Bhīṣma’s chariot, which was adorned and fitted with gold. The scene underscores the concentrated resolve of the Pāṇḍava champions to confront the foremost elder-warrior of the Kuru host, where courage and duty in battle collide with the moral weight of fighting a revered patriarch.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights collective resolve and kṣatriya-duty in war: leading warriors unite to confront the most formidable opponent. Ethically, it also evokes the Mahābhārata’s tension between rightful duty in battle and the sorrowful necessity of opposing an honored elder like Bhīṣma.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki, Bhīma, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna simultaneously rush to attack Bhīṣma’s gold-adorned chariot, signaling an intensified effort by the Pāṇḍava side to check Bhīṣma’s dominance on the battlefield.