Shloka 51

भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः

Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas

Devanagari script

अदर्शयद्‌ वासुदेवो हययाने परं बलम्‌ | मोघान्‌ कुर्वज्शरांस्तस्य मण्डलानि निदर्शयन्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | adarśayad vāsudevo hayayāne paraṁ balam | moghān kurvañ śarāṁs tasya maṇḍalāni nidarśayan |

Translation

Sañjaya dijo: Vāsudeva mostró su suprema destreza en el arte de conducir los caballos. Con giros en círculo y virajes hábiles, el Bienaventurado Śrī Kṛṣṇa iba volviendo ineficaces las flechas de Bhīṣma, protegiendo a Arjuna en medio de la furia del combate.

Word by Word

• अदर्शयत्: showed
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (दर्शन)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), 3, singular, परस्मैपद

• वासुदेवः: Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)
• वासुदेवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• हययाने: in (the act of) driving the horse-chariot / in horsemanship
• हययाने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हययान
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

• परम्: supreme, excellent
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• बलम्: strength, power
• बलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• मोघान्: vain, futile
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मोघ
• Form: masculine, accusative, plural

• कुर्वन्: making, rendering
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), masculine, nominative, singular

• शरान्: arrows
• शरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: masculine, accusative, plural

• तस्य: of him (Bhīṣma)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• मण्डलानि: circles, circuits (maneuvers)
• मण्डलानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल
• Form: neuter, accusative, plural

• निदर्शयन्: displaying, demonstrating
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + दृश्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), masculine, nominative, singular

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• श्रीकृष्णः: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• श्रीकृष्णः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीकृष्ण
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Bhīṣma
• arrows (śarāḥ)
• horses
• chariot

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid righteous conflict, excellence in one’s duty (here, Kṛṣṇa’s charioteering) becomes a means of protection and restraint: skill guided by higher purpose can neutralize harm without abandoning dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Kṛṣṇa’s masterful chariot-driving: by circling and maneuvering, he causes Bhīṣma’s volleys to miss or lose effect, safeguarding Arjuna during the intense fighting.