Shloka 52

भीष्मस्य जलप्रार्थना — अर्जुनस्य पर्जन्यास्त्रप्रयोगः — दुर्योधनं प्रति सन्ध्युपदेशः

Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation

Devanagari script

तच्छुत्वा वचन तस्य त्रैगर्त: प्रस्थलाधिप: । अभिद्र॒ुत्य रणे भीममर्जुनं चैव धन्विनौ

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

tac chrutvā vacanaṃ tasya traigartaḥ prasthalādhipaḥ |

abhidhṛtya raṇe bhīmam arjunaṃ caiva dhanvinau ||

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。その言葉を聞くや、トリガルタの将—プラスタラの主—は戦場へ突進し、幾千もの戦車で弓の勇者ビーマとアルジュナを四方から包囲した。かくしてアルジュナは敵軍との激烈にして危うい戦いへと引き込まれた。

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'tat': 'that', 'śrutvā': 'having heard', 'vacanam': 'speech, statement, command', 'tasya': 'of him, his', 'traigartaḥ': 'the Trigarta (king/warrior of the Trigartas)', 'prasthala-adhipaḥ': 'lord/ruler of Prasthala', 'abhidhṛtya (≈ abhidhāvya/abhidrutya)': 'rushing upon, charging at', 'raṇe': 'in battle, on the battlefield', 'bhīmam': 'Bhīma', 'arjunam': 'Arjuna', 'ca eva': 'and indeed/also', 'dhanvinau': 'the two archers, bow-bearing warriors (dual)', 'parivārya (implied by context)': 'having surrounded', 'anekaiḥ sahasraiḥ rathaiḥ (implied by context)': 'with many thousands of chariots'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Trigarta (people/king)
• Prasthala
• Bhīma
• Arjuna
• chariots (ratha)
• battlefield (raṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya context of dharma in war: leaders respond to commands and battlefield developments with decisive action, and the foremost warriors must meet concentrated aggression with steadiness and courage rather than retreating from duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing an instruction (from his side’s leadership), the Trigarta ruler (identified in the tradition as Suśarman), lord of Prasthala, charges and arranges a mass chariot encirclement around Bhīma and Arjuna, triggering an intense clash—especially for Arjuna—against the surrounding enemy forces.