Shloka 92

भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal

Devanagari script

आविष्टा इव युध्यन्ते रक्षोभूता महाबला: । तावका: पाण्डवेयाश्व संरब्धास्तात धन्विन:,तात! आपके और पाण्डवपक्षके महाबली धनुर्धर वीर भूतोंसे आविष्ट-से होकर राक्षसोंक समान बनकर क्रोधपूर्वक एक-दूसरेसे जूझ रहे थे

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | āviṣṭā iva yudhyante rakṣobhūtā mahābalāḥ | tāvakāḥ pāṇḍaveyāś ca saṃrabdhās tāta dhanvinaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O dear one, your mighty bowmen and the Pāṇḍava warriors fought as though possessed—changed in bearing like rākṣasas—wrathfully grappling with one another in the frenzy of battle.”

Word by Word

आविष्टाःpossessed, entered (as if possessed)

इवas if, like

युध्यन्तेthey fight

रक्षोभूताःbecome like rakshasas/demons

महाबलाःvery strong, mighty

तावकाःyour (men), belonging to you

पाण्डवेयाःthose of the Pandavas

चand

संरब्धाःenraged, furious

तातO dear one / O father (address)

धन्विनःarchers, bowmen

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address 'tāta')

Kauravas (tāvakāḥ)

Pāṇḍavas (pāṇḍaveyāḥ)

bows/archery (dhanus implied by dhanvinaḥ)

rākṣasas (as a simile)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger and battle-frenzy can eclipse human restraint, making even heroic warriors appear ‘possessed’ and ‘demonic’ in conduct—an implicit ethical warning about the corrosive power of krodha (wrath) and the loss of discernment in violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that both sides—Kaurava and Pāṇḍava archers—are locked in intense combat, fighting as if possessed, their ferocity likened to rākṣasas, driven by anger as they clash with one another.