Shloka 54
भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal
हतशेषैर्महाराज द्विसाहसैह्योत्तमै: । निहन्तुकाम: समरे इरावन्तं महाबलम्
hataśeṣair mahārāja dvisāhasair hy uttamaiḥ | nihantukāmaḥ samare irāvantaṃ mahābalam ||
ಮಹಾರಾಜನೇ! ಸಂಹಾರದಿಂದ ಉಳಿದ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಎರಡು ಸಾವಿರರೊಂದಿಗೆ, ಸಮರದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಹಾಬಲ ಇರಾವಾನ್ನನ್ನು ಕೊಲ್ಲಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಆಸೆಯಿಂದ ಅವನು ರಣಭೂಮಿಗೆ ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸಿದನು.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intention (nihantukāmaḥ) drives action in war: even amid devastation, survivors regroup and pursue targeted violence, illustrating the relentless momentum of battle and the moral weight carried by deliberate intent.
Sañjaya reports to the king that a warrior, supported by two thousand elite survivors, advances on the battlefield with the specific aim of killing the powerful Irāvān.