Shloka 14
भीमसेनस्य प्रतिघातः—भगदत्तगजप्रहारः—घटोत्कचमायायुद्धम्
Bhīma’s Counteroffensive, Bhagadatta’s Elephant Assault, and Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā Engagement
चेदिकाशिकरूषैश्न पौरवैरपि संवृतः । धृष्टद्युम्न: शिखण्डी च पज्चालाश्व प्रभद्रका:
cedikāśikarūṣaiś ca pauravair api saṃvṛtaḥ | dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca pāñcālāś ca prabhadrakāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The army’s central formation was ringed about by the forces of Cedi, Kāśi, and Karūṣa, and also by the Pauravas. There stood Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Śikhaṇḍin, together with the Pāñcālas and the Prabhadrakas, ready for battle—an image of allied duty and resolve as the war-lines tightened around the leaders.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores collective duty (kṣatriya-dharma) expressed through disciplined alliance: multiple kingdoms coordinate around key leaders, showing how responsibility in war is carried not by individuals alone but by ordered support and shared resolve.
Sañjaya describes the Pāṇḍava-side center of the battlefield formation: it is surrounded by allied contingents (Cedi, Kāśi, Karūṣa, and Pauravas), with Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Śikhaṇḍin standing prominently alongside the Pāñcālas and Prabhadrakas, poised for combat.