Shloka 26

भीष्म-युधिष्ठिर-संमर्दः

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

Devanagari script

स पीड्यमान: समरे कृतास्त्रो युद्धदुर्मद:

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

Sanjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, Abhimanyu—mahir dalam ilmu senjata dan bertempur dengan kegilaan perang—meski terdesak di kancah laga dan tertusuk panah, tetap mengguncang pasukanmu. Seperti Indra sang pemegang wajra, dalam perang para dewa melawan asura, menimpakan ketakutan pada asura-asura perkasa.”

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.