Shloka 17
धृष्टद्युम्नस्ततो राजन् पाण्डवश्च युधिष्ठिर: । श्रुत्वा भीष्मस्य तां वाचं चोदयामासतुर्बलम्
dhṛṣṭadyumnas tato rājan pāṇḍavaś ca yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | śrutvā bhīṣmasya tāṁ vācaṁ codayām āsatur balam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Lalu, wahai Raja, Dhṛṣṭadyumna dan Pāṇḍava Yudhiṣṭhira, setelah mendengar ucapan Bhīṣma itu, mendorong bala tentaranya—‘Wahai para pahlawan, majulah! Bertempurlah, dan dalam pertempuran ini raihlah kemenangan atas Bhīṣma. Kalian semua berada dalam lindungan Arjuna, penakluk musuh, yang teguh pada ikrar kebenarannya.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights righteous leadership in war: commanders must strengthen morale and direct action while grounding confidence in proven virtue—here, Arjuna’s steadfast truthfulness and vow-keeping become an ethical basis for trust and collective courage.
After hearing Bhīṣma’s words, Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Yudhiṣṭhira rally the Pāṇḍava forces to advance and fight, assuring them that Arjuna—renowned for defeating enemies and keeping his vows—stands as their protector in the battle against Bhīṣma.