Shloka 27
भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal
गजो गवाक्षो वृषभश्चर्मवानार्जव: शुक: । षडेते बलसम्पन्ना निर्ययुर्महतो बलातू
sañjaya uvāca |
gajo gavākṣo vṛṣabhaś carmavān ārjavaḥ śukaḥ |
ṣaḍ ete balasampannā niryayur mahato balāt ||
Dengan menunggang kuda-kuda unggul yang baru terlatih—yang sentuhannya sukar ditahan dan lajunya menandingi angin—Gaja, Gavākṣa, Vṛṣabha, Carmavān, Ārjava, dan Śuka, enam kesatria perkasa itu, maju keluar dari bala tentara mereka yang besar.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of decisive action and courage in battle: capable warriors, equipped with swift mounts and backed by a great host, step forward to engage. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that duty in war involves readiness, discipline, and resolve, even amid the larger tragedy of conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that six named warriors—Gaja, Gavākṣa, Vṛṣabha, Carmavān, Ārjava, and Śuka—ride out from their main army on exceptionally swift horses, moving forward from the larger formation as the battle action intensifies.