Shloka 18
भीमसेनस्य प्रतिघातः—भगदत्तगजप्रहारः—घटोत्कचमायायुद्धम्
Bhīma’s Counteroffensive, Bhagadatta’s Elephant Assault, and Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā Engagement
एवमेतं महाव्यूहं प्रत्यव्यूहन्त पाण्डवा:
evam etaṁ mahāvyūhaṁ pratyavyūhanta pāṇḍavāḥ
Sañjaya said: “Thus, in response to that vast battle-formation, the Pāṇḍavas arranged a counter-formation—meeting strategy with strategy as the war’s order and duty-driven contest unfolded.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined response under pressure: in a dharma-framed conflict, one must meet challenges with clarity, organization, and appropriate strategy rather than panic—fulfilling one’s role with steadiness.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍava forces, seeing the opponent’s large formation, arranged a corresponding counter-formation to face it on the battlefield.