Shloka 21

Bhīṣma-parva Adhyāya 16 — Saṃjaya’s Boon, Bhīṣma’s Protection, and the Dawn Arraying of Armies

Devanagari script

एकादशी धार्तराष्ट्रा कौरवाणां महाचमू: । अग्रतः सर्वसैन्यानां यत्र शान्तनवो5ग्रणी:,ग्यारहवीं विशाल वाहिनी दुर्योधनकी थी, जिनमें अधिकांश कौरव-योद्धा थे। यह कौरव-सेना अन्य सब सेनाओंके आगे खड़ी थी। इसके अधिनायक थे शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्म

Transliteration

ekādaśī dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ kauravāṇāṁ mahācamūḥ | agrataḥ sarvasainyānāṁ yatra śāntanavo 'graṇīḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «La grande armée des Kaurava, appartenant aux fils de Dhṛtarāṣṭra, formait la onzième division. Elle se tenait tout à l’avant de toutes les troupes, et à sa tête se trouvait Bhīṣma, fils de Śāntanu—emblème d’un commandement discipliné et du lourd fardeau moral des anciens menant une guerre entre parents.»

Word by Word

एकादशीthe eleventh

धार्तराष्ट्राbelonging to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (i.e., Duryodhana’s)

कौरवाणाम्of the Kauravas

महाचमूःthe great army (division)

अग्रतःin front; at the forefront

सर्वसैन्यानाम्of all the armies

यत्रwhere

शान्तनवःthe son of Śantanu (Bhīṣma)

अग्रणीःleader; commander-in-chief

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Kauravas

Bhīṣma (Śāntanava)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical gravity of leadership in war: even revered elders like Bhīṣma may stand at the forefront due to vows and duty, showing how dharma can become complex when loyalty, lineage, and righteousness collide.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the arrangement of the Kaurava forces at Kurukṣetra, specifying that the eleventh great division of the Dhṛtarāṣṭra side stands in front, led by Bhīṣma, Śāntanu’s son.