Shloka 13
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
भीमसेन और भीष्मका युद्ध अथ काम्बोजजैरश्लैर्महद्धिः शीघ्रगामिभि: । गोपानां बहुसाहसैब्बलैगोंपायनैर्वृत:ः,तत्पश्चात् काम्बोजराज सुदक्षिण काम्बोजदेशीय विशाल एवं शीघ्रगामी घोड़ोंपर आरूढ़ हो युद्धके लिये चले। उनके साथ गोपायन नामवाले कई हजार गोप-सैनिक थे
sañjaya uvāca | atha kāmboja-jaiḥ aśvaiḥ mahadbhir hi śīghra-gāmibhiḥ | gopānāṃ bahu-sāhasaiḥ balaiḥ gopāyanaiḥ vṛtaḥ | tataḥ paścāt kāmboja-rājaḥ sudakṣiṇaḥ kāmboja-deśīyān viśālān evaṃ śīghra-gāminaḥ aśvān āruhya yuddhāya niryayau | tena sārdhaṃ gopāyana-nāmānaḥ aneke sahasrāṇi gopa-sainikāḥ āsan ||
Sañjaya said: Then, surrounded by the Gopāyana troops—many thousands of cowherd-soldiers famed for daring—and supported by great, swift Kāmboja horses, King Sudakṣiṇa of Kāmboja mounted his broad, fast steeds and advanced to battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights martial virtues—speed, strength, and daring—while implicitly reminding the reader that such virtues are ethically charged in the Mahābhārata: courage and discipline are admirable, yet their use in war must be weighed against dharma and the consequences of violence.
Sañjaya describes the Kāmboja contingent: King Sudakṣiṇa mounts swift, powerful horses and advances to fight, accompanied by many thousands of bold Gopāyana gopa-soldiers, as the broader battle (including Bhīma and Bhīṣma’s fighting) unfolds.