Shloka 24
Droṇa–Arjuna Yuddha; Trigarta-Āvaraṇa; Bhīmasena Gajānīka-bheda
Droṇa and Arjuna Engage; Trigarta Containment; Bhīma Breaks the Elephant Corps
चेदिपो वसुदानश्न दशार्णाधिपतिस्तथा । भारत! गर्जते हुए मेघके समान राजा भगदत्तको धावा करते देख भीमसेन, अभिमन्यु, राक्षस घटोत्कच, द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्र, सत्यधृति, क्षत्रदेव, चेदिराज धृष्टकेतु, वसुदान और दशार्णराज--ये सभी पाण्डवपक्षीय महारथी क्रोधमें भरकर उनका सामना करनेके लिये आये |। सुप्रतीकेन तांश्वापि भगदत्तोडप्युपाद्रवत्,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 भगदत्तने भी सुप्रतीक नामक हाथीपर आरूढ़ होकर उनपर धावा किया। फिर तो पाण्डवोंका भगदत्तके साथ घोर एवं भयानक युद्ध होने लगा, जो यमराजके राष्ट्रकी वृद्धि करनेवाला था
cedipo vasudānaś ca daśārṇādhipatis tathā | bhārata garjateva megha-samo rājā bhagadattaṃ dhāvantaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhīmaseno 'bhimanyur rākṣaso ghaṭotkacaḥ draupadeyāḥ pañca satyadhṛtiḥ kṣatradevaś ca cedīrājo dhṛṣṭaketur vasudāno daśārṇarājaś caite sarve pāṇḍavapakṣīyā mahārathāḥ krodhāviṣṭāḥ pratīkartum ājagmuḥ || supratīkena tān api bhagadatto 'py upādravat | kathayāmāsa durdharṣo viniḥśvasya punaḥ punaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, seeing King Bhagadatta—like a thunderous, roaring cloud—charging forward, Bhīmasena, Abhimanyu, the rākṣasa Ghaṭotkaca, the five sons of Draupadī, Satyadhṛti, Kṣatradeva, the Cedi king Dhṛṣṭaketu, Vasudāna, and the ruler of Daśārṇa—all these great chariot-warriors of the Pāṇḍava side, inflamed with wrath, advanced to meet him. Then Bhagadatta too, mounted on the elephant Supratīka, rushed at them. The hard-to-subdue warrior, heaving deep breaths again and again, continued to recount the events—his agitation revealing how fiercely the struggle was pressing upon the leaders in that dreadful war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethic of meeting force with disciplined resistance: when a formidable aggressor charges, the Pāṇḍava champions do not yield to fear but unite to counter him. It also subtly warns that anger (krodha) powers action yet intensifies the war’s destructiveness, pushing the conflict toward greater loss of life.
Bhagadatta advances fiercely, compared to a roaring cloud. In response, multiple Pāṇḍava-side elite warriors—Bhīma, Abhimanyu, Ghaṭotkaca, the Draupadeyas, and allied kings—move to confront him. Bhagadatta, mounted on his elephant Supratīka, charges into them, and the scene turns into a grim, escalating clash.