Shloka 2
भीमसेनस्य प्रतिघातः—भगदत्तगजप्रहारः—घटोत्कचमायायुद्धम्
Bhīma’s Counteroffensive, Bhagadatta’s Elephant Assault, and Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā Engagement
गारुडं च महाव्यूहं चक्रे शान्तनवस्तदा । पुत्राणां ते जयाकाड्क्षी भीष्म: कुरुपितामह:,उस समय कुरुकुलके पितामह शान्तनुकुमार भीष्मने आपके पुत्रोंको विजय दिलानेकी इच्छासे महान् गरुड़व्यूहकी रचना की
sañjaya uvāca | gāruḍaṃ ca mahāvyūhaṃ cakre śāntanavas tadā | putrāṇāṃ te jayākāṅkṣī bhīṣmaḥ kurupitāmahaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Alors Bhīṣma, fils de Śāntanu—le vénérable aïeul des Kuru—forma le grand dispositif de bataille nommé la formation du Garuḍa, désirant la victoire pour tes fils.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how duty and loyalty can drive even the most venerable figures to act decisively in war. Bhīṣma’s commitment to the Kuru throne manifests as strategic action for the Kauravas’ victory, raising the ethical tension between personal righteousness and allegiance to a contested cause.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma arranged the Kaurava forces into the great Garuḍa battle formation, intending to secure victory for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons at the outset of the conflict.