Shloka 18
भीष्मवधाय प्रयाणम् — The Advance toward Bhīṣma and Counter-Engagements
अथाभिमन्युं समरे भीमसेनेन संगतम् । पार्षतेन च सम्प्रेक्ष्य तव सैन्ये महारथा:,इधर, उस समरभूमिमें अभिमन्युको भीमसेन तथा धृष्टद्युम्नससे मिला हुआ देख आपकी सेनाके दुर्योधन आदि महारथी हाथोंमें धनुष लिये अत्यन्त वेगशाली अअश्रोंद्वारा वहाँ जा पहुँचे, जहाँ वे बारह पाण्डवपक्षीय महारथी विद्यमान थे
athābhimanyuṃ samare bhīmasenena saṅgatam | pārṣatena ca samprekṣya tava sainye mahārathāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, seeing Abhimanyu on the battlefield joined in combat with Bhīmasena and with Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna), the great chariot-warriors in your army advanced swiftly, bows in hand, rushing toward the place where those Pāṇḍava-side champions stood. The scene underscores how, in war, the sight of a formidable alliance provokes a concentrated counter-move—valor and strategy tightening around a single focal point of conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical tension in the Mahābhārata: martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) demands swift response to battlefield developments, yet such responses also intensify violence. It shows how alliances and perceived threats drive collective action, reminding readers that war amplifies both courage and the momentum of retaliation.
Sañjaya reports that Kaurava-side elite warriors, noticing Abhimanyu engaged alongside Bhīma and Dhṛṣṭadyumna, surge forward with bows ready, converging on the location where the Pāṇḍava champions are positioned—signaling an imminent clash of leading fighters.