Shloka 26

भीष्म-युधिष्ठिर-संमर्दः

Bhīṣma’s Pressure on Yudhiṣṭhira; Śikhaṇḍī’s Approach; Evening Withdrawal

Devanagari script

स पीड्यमान: समरे कृतास्त्रो युद्धदुर्मद:,महाराज! अभिमन्यु अस्त्रविद्याका ज्ञाता और युद्धमें उन्‍्मत्त होकर लड़नेवाला है। उसने समरभूमिमें बाणोंसे पीड़ित होनेपर भी आपके सैनिकोंमें कँपकँपी उत्पन्न कर दी। ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे देवासुर-संग्राममें वज्रधारी इन्द्रने बड़े-बड़े असुरोंको भयसे पीड़ित कर दिया था

Transliteration

sa pīḍyamānaḥ samare kṛtāstro yuddha-durmadāḥ, mahārāja! abhimanyuḥ astravidyāyāḥ jñātā yuddhe unmattavat yodhyamānaḥ; sa samara-bhūmau bāṇaiḥ pīḍitaḥ san api tava sainyeṣu kampakampīṃ janayāmāsa, yathā devāsura-saṅgrāme vajradhara indro mahā-asurān bhayena pīḍitān akarot.

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Ô roi, Abhimanyu—versé dans la science des armes et combattant avec la fureur du champ de bataille—bien qu’accablé dans la mêlée et frappé de flèches, fit frissonner tes troupes. Il fut tel Indra, brandissant le foudre, qui, dans la guerre des dieux et des démons, accabla de peur les grands asuras.»

Word by Word

• {'pīḍyamānaḥ': 'being pressed, afflicted, hard-pressed', 'samare': 'in battle, in the melee', 'kṛtāstraḥ': 'one who has readied/used weapons

• armed and weapon-trained', 'yuddha-durmadāḥ': 'intoxicated with battle

• fiercely overbold in war', 'mahārāja': 'O great king (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'abhimanyuḥ': 'Abhimanyu (son of Arjuna, warrior of the Pāṇḍavas)', 'astravidyā-jñātā': 'knower of weapon-lore

• expert in martial techniques', 'unmattavat': 'as if maddened

• with frenzied intensity', 'samara-bhūmau': 'on the battlefield', 'bāṇaiḥ': 'with arrows', 'tava sainyeṣu': 'among your troops/army', 'kampakampīm': 'trembling, a shuddering panic', 'janayāmāsa': 'caused, produced', 'devāsura-saṅgrāma': 'the war between devas and asuras', 'vajradharaḥ': 'thunderbolt-bearer (epithet of Indra)', 'indraḥ': 'Indra, king of the gods', 'asurān': 'asuras (demons/anti-gods)', 'bhayena pīḍitān': 'afflicted with fear

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Abhimanyu
• Indra
• Devas
• Asuras
• Vajra (thunderbolt)
• Battlefield
• Arrows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how mastery of skill and unwavering courage can influence the moral-psychological dimension of war: even when wounded, a steadfast warrior can protect dharma by sustaining resolve and breaking the enemy’s confidence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu, though struck by many arrows and under pressure, continues to fight with fierce intensity and spreads panic among the Kaurava troops, compared to Indra terrifying mighty asuras in the devas–asuras war.