Shloka 13
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
भीमसेन और भीष्मका युद्ध अथ काम्बोजजैरश्लैर्महद्धिः शीघ्रगामिभि: । गोपानां बहुसाहसैब्बलैगोंपायनैर्वृत:ः,तत्पश्चात् काम्बोजराज सुदक्षिण काम्बोजदेशीय विशाल एवं शीघ्रगामी घोड़ोंपर आरूढ़ हो युद्धके लिये चले। उनके साथ गोपायन नामवाले कई हजार गोप-सैनिक थे
sañjaya uvāca | atha kāmboja-jaiḥ aśvaiḥ mahadbhir hi śīghra-gāmibhiḥ | gopānāṃ bahu-sāhasaiḥ balaiḥ gopāyanaiḥ vṛtaḥ | tataḥ paścāt kāmboja-rājaḥ sudakṣiṇaḥ kāmboja-deśīyān viśālān evaṃ śīghra-gāminaḥ aśvān āruhya yuddhāya niryayau | tena sārdhaṃ gopāyana-nāmānaḥ aneke sahasrāṇi gopa-sainikāḥ āsan ||
Sañjaya said: Then, surrounded by the Gopāyana troops—many thousands of cowherd-soldiers famed for daring—and supported by great, swift Kāmboja horses, King Sudakṣiṇa of Kāmboja mounted his broad, fast steeds and advanced to battle. The scene underscores how courage and military organization are marshalled for war, even as the epic’s larger ethical tension remains: valor is admirable, yet it is being spent in a conflict that tests dharma on all sides.
संजय उवाच