Shloka 18

Devanagari script

वारयस्व रणे यत्तो मिषतां सर्वधन्विनाम्‌ | “महाराज! तुम रणदुर्मद घटोत्कचका सामना करनेके लिये शीघ्र जाओ और समस्त धनुर्धरोंके देखते-देखते प्रयत्नपूर्वक उसे रणक्षेत्रमें आगे बढ़नेसे रोको || १७ है ।। राक्षसं क्रूरकर्माणं यथेन्द्रस्तारकं पुरा,कथयामास दुर्धर्षो विनि:श्वस्य पुनः पुनः । संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाला राजा दुर्योधन उस महान्‌ युद्धमें एक राक्षसके द्वारा प्राप्त हुई अपनी पराजयको नहीं सह सका। उसने गंगानन्दन भीष्मजीके पास जाकर उन्हें विनीतभावसे प्रणाम करनेके पश्चात्‌ सारा वृत्तान्त यथावत्‌ रूपसे कह सुनाया। उस दुर्धर्ष वीरने बारंबार लम्बी साँस खींचकर घटोत्कचकी विजय और अपनी पराजयकी कथा कही 'पूर्वकालमें इन्द्रने जैसे तारकासुरकी प्रगति रोक दी थी, उसी प्रकार तुम भी उस क्रूरकर्मा राक्षसको रोक दो। परंतप! तुम्हारे पास दिव्य अस्त्र हैं। तुममें पराक्रम भी महान्‌ है और पूर्वकालमें बहुत-से देवताओंके साथ तुम्हारा युद्ध भी हो चुका है

Transliteration

vārayasva raṇe yatto miṣatāṁ sarva-dhanvinām | rākṣasaṁ krūra-karmāṇaṁ yathendraḥ tārakaṁ purā, kathayāmāsa durdharṣo viniḥśvasya punaḥ punaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Go forth at once in the battle and, before the eyes of all the bowmen, strive to check him. Restrain that rākṣasa of cruel deeds—just as Indra in former times stopped Tāraka’s advance.” Having spoken thus, the hard-to-overcome (king) repeatedly heaved deep sighs, recounting again and again the rākṣasa’s victory and his own humiliation—unable to bear the setback amid the great war. The appeal frames the crisis as a test of martial duty: to protect the army’s morale and order by halting a destructive force through rightful prowess and superior weapons.

Word by Word

वारयस्वdo restrain / stop (him)

रणेin battle

यत्तःstriving / intent (on action)

मिषताम्of those looking on

सर्वof all

धन्विनाम्of archers

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Duryodhana

Bhīṣma (Gaṅgā-nandana)

Ghaṭotkaca

Indra

Tāraka

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage underscores kṣatriya-duty in crisis: a leader must act decisively to restrain a destructive threat, not merely for personal pride but to preserve order and protect the host. The Indra–Tāraka analogy frames rightful force as protective restraint rather than uncontrolled vengeance.

What is happening in the narrative?

After suffering a setback at the hands of Ghaṭotkaca, Duryodhana—distressed and repeatedly sighing—approaches Bhīṣma and urges him to go quickly to the front and stop the rākṣasa’s advance in full view of the army, likening the needed intervention to Indra halting Tāraka in ancient times.