Shloka 14
अध्याय ८८ — घटोत्कच-दुर्योधनयुद्धवर्णनम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Duryodhana Engagement
मद्राधिपं समभित्यज्य संख्ये स्वभागमाप्तं तमनन्तकीर्ति: । सार्थ स माद्रीसुतभीमसे नै- भीष्म ययौ शान्तनवं रणाय,उस समय उत्कृष्ट बलशाली अनन्तकीर्ति महात्मा युधिष्ठिर भी युद्धमें अपने भागके रूपमें प्राप्त हुए मद्रराज शल्यको छोड़कर नकुल, सहदेव और भीमसेनके साथ क्रोधपूर्वक तुरंत वहाँसे चल दिये और युद्धके लिये शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मके पास जा पहुँचे
sañjaya uvāca |
madhrādhipaṃ samabhityajya saṅkhye svabhāgam āptaṃ tam anantakīrtiḥ |
sārthaḥ sa mādrīsuta-bhīmasenaiḥ bhīṣmaṃ yayau śāntanavaṃ raṇāya ||
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, the mighty and illustrious Yudhiṣṭhira—renowned for unending fame—left aside Śalya, the king of Madra who had fallen to him as his allotted opponent, and, accompanied by the sons of Mādrī (Nakula and Sahadeva) and by Bhīmasena, moved at once in wrath to confront Bhīṣma, the son of Śāntanu, for combat. The moment underscores the ethical strain of war: even when an adversary is ‘assigned’ by circumstance, the pull of urgent duty and strategic necessity can redirect a warrior toward the greater threat on the field.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between what is ‘allotted’ (svabhāga) and what becomes the higher immediate duty in a crisis. In war-ethics, a leader may set aside a personally assigned engagement to address the greater threat, provided the action serves the larger responsibility of protecting one’s side and restoring order on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira, leaving aside Śalya—who had come to him as his designated opponent—moves quickly and angrily with Nakula, Sahadeva, and Bhīma to engage Bhīṣma (Śāntanu’s son) in direct combat.