Shloka 416

Devanagari script

दृष्टवा पार्थ महाबाहुं भीष्मायोद्यतमाहवे । महाबाहु कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनको भीष्मके साथ युद्ध करनेके लिये उद्यत देख युधिष्ठिरकी वह भागती हुई विशाल सेना पुनः लौट आयी

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā pārtha mahābāhuṃ bhīṣmāyodyatam āhave | mahābāhu kuntīkumāra arjunako bhīṣmake sātha yuddha karaneke liye udyata dekh yudhiṣṭhirakī vah bhāgatī huī viśāl senā punaḥ lauṭa āyī

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing mighty-armed Arjuna, the son of Kuntī, standing ready in battle to engage Bhīṣma, that vast army of Yudhiṣṭhira—which had been fleeing—turned back and returned again. The sight of Arjuna’s resolve restored courage and order, checking panic and reestablishing the duty of standing firm in a righteous war.

Word by Word

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

पार्थम्Arjuna (son of Pṛthā)

महाबाहुम्the mighty-armed

भीष्मायfor Bhīṣma / towards Bhīṣma

उद्यतम्raised/ready (for action)

आहवेin battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

Bhīṣma

Kuntī

Yudhiṣṭhira

Pāṇḍava army

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Steadfast leadership and visible resolve can restore collective courage; in a dharmic conflict, abandoning one’s duty out of fear leads to disorder, while firm commitment to rightful responsibility reestablishes morale and discipline.

What is happening in the narrative?

The Pāṇḍava forces under Yudhiṣṭhira had begun to flee. When they see Arjuna—mighty and prepared to fight Bhīṣma—standing ready, the army regains confidence and turns back to rejoin the battle.