Shloka 21

Bhīṣma-parva Adhyāya 16 — Saṃjaya’s Boon, Bhīṣma’s Protection, and the Dawn Arraying of Armies

Devanagari script

एकादशी धार्तराष्ट्रा कौरवाणां महाचमू: । अग्रतः सर्वसैन्यानां यत्र शान्तनवो5ग्रणी:,ग्यारहवीं विशाल वाहिनी दुर्योधनकी थी, जिनमें अधिकांश कौरव-योद्धा थे। यह कौरव-सेना अन्य सब सेनाओंके आगे खड़ी थी। इसके अधिनायक थे शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्म

Transliteration

ekādaśī dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ kauravāṇāṁ mahācamūḥ | agrataḥ sarvasainyānāṁ yatra śāntanavo 'graṇīḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: The Kauravas’ great host, belonging to the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, formed the eleventh division. It stood at the very front of all the armies, and at its head was Śāntanu’s son Bhīṣma—an emblem of disciplined command and the grave moral weight of elders leading a war among kin.

Word by Word

एकादशीthe eleventh

धार्तराष्ट्राbelonging to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (i.e., Duryodhana’s)

कौरवाणाम्of the Kauravas

महाचमूःthe great army (division)

अग्रतःin front; at the forefront

सर्वसैन्यानाम्of all the armies

यत्रwhere

शान्तनवःthe son of Śantanu (Bhīṣma)

अग्रणीःleader; commander-in-chief

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Kauravas

Bhīṣma (Śāntanava)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes