Shloka 5
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
भीमसेनस्तु संक्रुद्धों गदामुद्यम्प भारत । दुर्योधनमुखान् सर्वान् पुत्रांस्ते पर्यवारयत्
bhīmasenas tu saṅkruddho gadām udyamya bhārata | duryodhana-mukhān sarvān putrāṁs te paryavārayat ||
Sañjaya said: Enraged, Bhīmasena lifted his mace, O Bhārata, and confronted all your sons—Duryodhana at their head—encircling and hemming them in. The scene underscores how wrath and martial resolve, once unleashed in war, drive warriors to decisive, forceful action against those seen as the chief agents of adharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) intensifies violence in war: once a warrior’s wrath is aroused, action becomes forceful and decisive. It also points to the ethical dimension of leadership—those ‘at the head’ (like Duryodhana) draw collective consequences upon their followers.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma, furious, lifts his mace and moves against the Kaurava host, with Duryodhana leading them, surrounding and pressing them on all sides in the heat of battle.