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Shloka 2

Bhīṣma’s Fall, the Arrow-bed (śara-talpa), and the Establishment of Guard

विधुन्वानो नरश्रेष्ठो द्रावयाणो वरूथिनीम्‌ । पृतनां पाण्डवेयानां गाहमाना महाबल:

vidhunvāno naraśreṣṭho drāvayāṇo varūthinīm | pṛtanāṃ pāṇḍaveyānāṃ gāhamāno mahābalaḥ ||

Dijo Sañjaya: El mejor de los hombres, de fuerza inmensa, sacudió las filas enemigas y puso en fuga su formación de batalla, internándose profundamente en el ejército de los Pāṇḍava. El verso destaca el ímpetu feroz de un solo guerrero poderoso en la guerra—cómo el valor y la fuerza pueden dispersar formaciones—y, a la vez, recuerda implícitamente que tal destreza, por deslumbrante que sea, actúa dentro del orden moral y del destino que rigen el conflicto de Kurukṣetra.

विधुन्वानःshaking, scattering
विधुन्वानः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootवि-धू (धातु) → विधुन्वत् (शतृ-प्रत्यय)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
नरश्रेष्ठःthe best of men
नरश्रेष्ठः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootनरश्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
द्रावयाणःcausing to flee, routing
द्रावयाणः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootद्रावय (णिजन्त, धातु: द्रु/द्रव्) → द्रावयत् (शतृ-प्रत्यय)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
वरूथिनीम्the army, host
वरूथिनीम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootवरूथिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
पृतनाम्the army, battle-host
पृतनाम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootपृतना (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
पाण्डवेयानाम्of the Pandavas' (people)
पाण्डवेयानाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeAdjective
Rootपाण्डवेय (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
गाहमानःentering, plunging into
गाहमानः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootगाह् (धातु) → गाहमान (शानच्-प्रत्यय)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
महाबलःmighty, of great strength
महाबलः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootमहाबल (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
P
Pāṇḍavas (Pāṇḍaveyāḥ)
P
Pṛtanā (army/host)
V
Varūthinī (battle-array/formation)

Educational Q&A

The verse foregrounds the raw power of martial prowess—how a single mighty hero can shake and scatter formations—yet, in the Mahābhārata’s ethical horizon, such force is not the final measure of rightness; it functions within dharma, responsibility, and the unfolding consequences of the war.

Sañjaya describes a powerful warrior (unnamed in this single verse) who shakes the opposing ranks, routs a battle-formation, and drives into the midst of the Pāṇḍava army, intensifying the clash on the battlefield.