Mahabharata — Bhishma Parva, Shloka 2

भीमसेनस्य प्रतिघातः—भगदत्तगजप्रहारः—घटोत्कचमायायुद्धम्

Bhīma’s Counteroffensive, Bhagadatta’s Elephant Assault, and Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā Engagement

Devanagari script

गारुडं च महाव्यूहं चक्रे शान्तनवस्तदा । पुत्राणां ते जयाकाड्क्षी भीष्म: कुरुपितामह:,उस समय कुरुकुलके पितामह शान्तनुकुमार भीष्मने आपके पुत्रोंको विजय दिलानेकी इच्छासे महान्‌ गरुड़व्यूहकी रचना की

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | gāruḍaṃ ca mahāvyūhaṃ cakre śāntanavas tadā | putrāṇāṃ te jayākāṅkṣī bhīṣmaḥ kurupitāmahaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Bhīṣma, the son of Śāntanu—the grandsire of the Kurus—formed the great battle-array called the Garuḍa formation, desiring victory for your sons.

Word by Word

• गारुडम्: Garuda-like
• गारुडम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गारुड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• महाव्यूहम्: great battle-formation
• महाव्यूहम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाव्यूह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चक्रे: made / arranged
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शान्तनवः: the son of Shantanu (Bhishma)
• शान्तनवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्तनव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तदा: then / at that time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• पुत्राणाम्: of (your) sons
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• ते: your
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• जयाकाङ्क्षी: desiring victory
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जयाकाङ्क्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कुरुपितामहः: the grandsire of the Kurus
• कुरुपितामहः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुपितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīṣma
• Śāntanu
• Kurus
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'your sons')
• Kauravas (implied by 'your sons')
• Garuḍa-vyūha (battle formation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how duty and loyalty can drive even the most venerable figures to act decisively in war. Bhīṣma’s commitment to the Kuru throne manifests as strategic action for the Kauravas’ victory, raising the ethical tension between personal righteousness and allegiance to a contested cause.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma arranged the Kaurava forces into the great Garuḍa battle formation, intending to secure victory for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons at the outset of the conflict.