Shloka 126
अध्याय ८८ — घटोत्कच-दुर्योधनयुद्धवर्णनम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Duryodhana Engagement
ययौ ततो भीमबलो मनस्वी गाज़्ेयमाजी शरचापपाणि: । दुर्योधन और जयद्रथ आदि योद्धा अर्जुनको रोकनेके प्रयत्नमें लगे थे; अत: उस समय अनन्त पराक्रमी एवं महातेजस्वी वीर अर्जुनने दो घड़ीतक बलपूर्वक युद्ध करके उन सबको रोक दिया। तत्पश्चात् राजा दुर्योधन और जयद्रथ आदि नरेशोंको वहीं छोड़कर भयंकर बलसे सम्पन्न एवं मनस्वी अर्जुन हाथमें धनुष-बाण ले युद्धस्थलमें गंगानन्दन भीष्मकी ओर चल दिये
yayau tato bhīmabalo manasvī gāṅgeyam ājau śaracāpapāṇiḥ | duryodhanaṁ caiva jayadrathaṁ ca hitvā raṇe bhīṣmam upājagāma ||
Sañjaya said: Then the mighty and resolute Arjuna, bow and arrows in hand, advanced on the battlefield toward Bhīṣma, the son of the Gaṅgā. Having held back Duryodhana, Jayadratha, and the other kings who strove to obstruct him—fighting with force and endurance for a time—he left them there and, driven by fierce martial purpose, moved on to confront Bhīṣma. The passage highlights steadfastness in a chosen duty amid the moral weight of war: Arjuna restrains opponents without losing sight of the larger objective set by his role as a warrior.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores steadfastness in one’s appointed duty (kṣatriya-dharma): even amid many opponents and the moral gravity of war, Arjuna maintains resolve, restrains obstacles, and advances toward the principal objective without wavering.
Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna, armed with bow and arrows, fights through those trying to block him—Duryodhana, Jayadratha, and others—and then moves past them to approach Bhīṣma on the battlefield.