Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
सौभद्रे भीमसेने च सात्यकौ च महारथे
saubhadre bhīmasene ca sātyakau ca mahārathe | pāṇḍavapakṣakī orase subhadrākumāra abhimanyuḥ bhīmasenaḥ mahārathī sātyakiḥ kekayarājakumāraḥ rājā virāṭaḥ tathā drupadaputraḥ dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ—ete puruṣasiṃhāś ca cedī-matsyadeśasya kṣatriyā yuddhaṃ kurvanti sma | kurukulavṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ bhīṣmaḥ etān sarvān prati bāṇavarṣaṃ prārabhata ||
ສັນຊະຍາກ່າວວ່າ: ຝ່າຍປານດະວະມີ ອະພິມັນຍຸ ບຸດຂອງສຸພັດຣາ, ພີມະເສນ, ສາຕະຍະກີ ມະຫາຣະຖະ, ເຈົ້າຊາຍແຫ່ງເກກະຍະ, ພຣະຣາຊາວິຣາຕ, ແລະ ທຣິສຕະດຍຸມນະ ບຸດຂອງດຣຸປະດະ—ວີຣະບຸລຸດດັ່ງສິງໂຕເຫຼົ່ານີ້ ພ້ອມດ້ວຍນັກຮົບກະສັດຕຣິຍະແຫ່ງເຈດີ ແລະ ມັດສະຍະ ກໍາລັງຮົບພົບກັນ. ແລ້ວພິຕາມະຫະ ພີສະມະ ຜູ້ເຖົ້າແກ່ແຫ່ງວົງກຸຣຸ ກໍເລີ່ມສາດຝົນລູກສອນໃສ່ພວກເຂົາທັງປວງ.
संजय उवाच
The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-dharma in practice: renowned warriors on the Pāṇḍava side stand together in battle, and Bhīṣma—though aged and revered—fulfills his chosen duty as commander by meeting them with full martial force. It highlights how personal bonds and reverence do not suspend one’s role-bound obligations in war.
Sanjaya lists key Pāṇḍava-aligned fighters (Abhimanyu, Bhīma, Sātyaki, the Kekaya prince, Virāṭa, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and allied Cedi and Matsya Kṣatriyas) actively fighting. Bhīṣma then initiates a concentrated counterattack, described as a ‘shower of arrows’ directed at all of them.