Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सात्यकिर्भीमसेनश्व धृष्टय्युम्नश्व॒ पार्षत:,अताडयन्‌ रणे भीष्मं सहिता: सर्वसृञज्जया: । समस्त सूंजय वीर एक साथ संगठित हो भयंकर शतघ्नी, परिघ, फरसे, मुद्गर, मुसल, प्रास, गोफन, स्वर्णमय पंखवाले बाण, शक्ति, तोमर, कम्पन, नाराच, वत्सदन्‍्त और भुशुण्डी आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंद्वारा रणभूमिमें भीष्मको सब ओरसे पीड़ा देने लगे

Transliteration

sātyakir bhīmasenaś ca dhr̥ṣṭadyumnaś ca pārṣataḥ | atāḍayan raṇe bhīṣmaṁ sahitāḥ sarvasr̥ñjayāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Sātyaki, Bhīmasena, and Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna the son of Pārṣata—together with all the Sṛñjayas in close formation—assailed Bhīṣma in the thick of battle, striking him from every side. The scene underscores the grim ethic of war: even the most venerable warrior becomes a lawful target once he stands as the pillar of an unjust cause, and collective effort is marshalled to check a single, overwhelming champion.

Word by Word

• {'sātyakiḥ': 'Sātyaki (Yādava warrior, ally of the Pāṇḍavas)', 'bhīmasenaḥ': 'Bhīmasena (Bhīma, second Pāṇḍava)', 'dhr̥ṣṭadyumnaḥ': 'Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna (commander of the Pāṇḍava army)', 'pārṣataḥ': 'son of Pārṣata/Pr̥ṣata (patronymic of Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna)', 'raṇe': 'in battle, in the battlefield', 'bhīṣmam': 'Bhīṣma (the grandsire, commander of the Kaurava host)', 'sahitāḥ': 'together, united, in concert', 'sarva-sr̥ñjayāḥ': 'all the Sṛñjayas (a confederate group aligned with the Pāṇḍavas)', 'atāḍayan': 'they struck, they beat, they attacked'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sātyaki
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna
• Pārṣata (Pr̥ṣata)
• Bhīṣma
• Sṛñjayas
• battlefield (raṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dharma-yuddha principle: when a single mighty warrior sustains an adharma-aligned force, opposing him becomes a collective duty. Reverence for age and greatness does not override the battlefield obligation to restrain harm and protect the just cause.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Sātyaki, Bhīma, and Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna—along with the Sṛñjaya fighters—coordinate their assault on Bhīṣma, striking him repeatedly in the midst of combat.