Shloka 11
अर्जुनकर्णयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्
Description of the Arjuna–Karṇa Engagement and Counsel to Duryodhana
संजय उवाच तद् भीमसेनस्य वचो निशम्य सुदुष्करं भ्रातुरमित्रमध्ये । संशप्तकानीकमसहामेक: सुदुष्करं धारयामीति पार्थ:,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! शत्रुओंकी मण्डलीमें अपने भाई भीमसेनका यह अत्यन्त दुष्कर वचन सुनकर कि “मैं अकेला ही असह्य संशप्तक सेनाका सामना करूँगा” उदार हृदयवाले महात्मा कपिध्वज अर्जुनने सत्यपराक्रमी भाई भीमके उस सत्य वचनको श्रवणगोचर करके उसे अप्रमेय, वृष्णिवंशावतंस नारायणावतार भगवान् श्रीकृष्णको बताया और उस समय कुरुश्रेष्ठ युधिष्ठिरका दर्शन करनेकी इच्छासे जानेको उद्यत हो इस प्रकार कहा--
sañjaya uvāca | tad bhīmasenasya vaco niśamya suduṣkaraṃ bhrātur amitra-madhye | saṃśaptakānīkam asaham ekaḥ suduṣkaraṃ dhārayāmīti pārthaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, amid the enemy host, hearing his brother Bhīmasena’s exceedingly difficult resolve—‘Alone I shall withstand the unbearable Saṃśaptaka battalion; I will bear this arduous burden’—Pārtha (Arjuna) took it to heart.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the dharmic gravity of a warrior’s spoken resolve: once a pledge is made in a righteous cause, one must be prepared to endure what is ‘suduṣkara’—extremely difficult—without wavering, especially in protection of one’s kin and duty.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma declares he will single-handedly face the formidable Saṃśaptaka force amid the enemy. Arjuna hears this daunting vow and registers its seriousness, setting the stage for subsequent coordination among the Pāṇḍavas in the battle context.