Shloka 8
भीमसेन–कर्णयुद्धवर्णनम्
Description of the Bhīmasena–Karṇa Engagement
आजानेयैर्महावेगैर्नानादेशसमुत्थितै: । पर्वतीयैर्नदीजैश्न सैन्धवैश्व हयोत्तमै:,राजन! नाना देशोंमें उत्पन्न महान् वेगशाली आजानेयर, पर्वतीयः (पहाड़ी), नदीजई (दरियाई) तथा सिंधुदेशीय उत्तम घोड़ोंद्वारा आपके पुत्रकी रक्षाके लिये उत्सुक हुए श्रेष्ठ कौरवयोद्धा सब ओरसे शीघ्र ही अर्जुनके रथपर टूट पड़े
ājāneyair mahāvegair nānādeśa-samutthitaiḥ | parvatīyair nadījaiś ca saindhavaiś ca hayottamaiḥ || rājan! nānādeśeṣu utpannaiḥ mahāvegaiḥ ājāneyaiḥ, parvatīyaiḥ (pahāḍī), nadījaiḥ (dariyāī) tathā sindhudeśīyaiḥ uttama-ghoḍaiḥ, tava putrasya rakṣāyai utsukāḥ śreṣṭhāḥ kaurava-yoddhāḥ sarvataḥ śīghram eva arjunasya rathaṃ prati pratyapatan ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, dengan kuda-kuda unggul—ajānēya yang sangat cepat, berasal dari berbagai negeri: kuda pegunungan, kuda sungai, dan kuda dari Sindhu—para kesatria Kaurava terkemuka, berhasrat melindungi putramu, menyerbu dari segala arah dan dengan segera menghantam kereta Arjuna.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of protective loyalty: elite warriors mobilize swiftly with the best resources to defend their leader. It underscores how duty and allegiance drive coordinated action in war, even when the broader conflict is morally fraught.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the foremost Kaurava fighters, eager to safeguard the king’s son, charge Arjuna’s chariot from all directions, mounted on exceptionally fast and well-bred horses from various regions.