Shloka 29
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
उग्रो भीमरथो भीमो वीरबाहुरलोलुप: । दुर्मुखो दुष्प्रधर्षश्व॒ विवित्सुर्विकट: सम:
ugro bhīmaratho bhīmo vīrabāhur alolupaḥ | durmukho duṣpradharṣaś ca vivitsur vikaṭaḥ samaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “There were also Ugra, Bhīmaratha, Bhīma, Vīrabāhu—free from greed—along with Durmukha, the hard-to-overpower Duṣpradharṣa, Vivitsu, and Vikaṭa, steadfast and even-minded.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic’s ethical tension in war: martial prowess is repeatedly paired with inner qualities such as freedom from greed (alolupa) and steadiness (sama), implying that strength gains moral weight when governed by self-control and equanimity.
Sañjaya continues enumerating notable fighters present in the battle array, naming several warriors and briefly characterizing them, as part of the broader description of the armies and their champions in the Bhīṣma Parva.