Shloka 246
Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam
महता रथवंशेन पार्थस्यावारयन् दिश: । तब रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ कृपाचार्य
sañjaya uvāca | mahatā rathavaṃśena pārthasyāvārayan diśaḥ | tatra rathiyoṃ meṃ śreṣṭhaḥ kṛpācāryaḥ, duryodhanaḥ, aśvatthāmā, śalyaḥ, kāmbojarājaḥ sudakṣiṇaḥ, avantīke rājakumārau vinda-anūvindaḥ tathā bāhnalīkadeśīyaiḥ sainikaiḥ saha rājā bāhnīkaḥ—ete sarve rathināṃ viśālāṃ senāṃ sārdhaṃ kṛtvā tena pārthasya samantād diśaḥ, sarvān mārgaṃś ca rurodhuḥ |
Sañjaya dit : Avec une immense masse de chars, ils barrèrent les directions d’Arjuna. Là, les plus grands guerriers de char—Kṛpācārya, Duryodhana, Aśvatthāmā, Śalya, Sudakṣiṇa roi de Kāmboja, les princes d’Avanti Vinda et Anuvinda, et le roi Bāhnīka avec les soldats du pays de Bāhlīka—rassemblèrent une vaste armée de chars et fermèrent toutes les voies, de tous côtés, contre Pārtha.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharma in war is tested not only by personal courage but also by strategic pressure: many renowned warriors combine forces to restrain one opponent, showing the ethical tension between collective necessity in battle and the ideal of fair, heroic combat.
Sañjaya reports that leading Kaurava-aligned chariot-warriors—Kṛpa, Duryodhana, Aśvatthāmā, Śalya, Sudakṣiṇa, Vinda, Anuvinda, and Bāhnīka with Bāhlīka troops—assemble a large chariot contingent and block all approaches around Arjuna, effectively hemming him in.