Shloka 13

भीष्मस्य शरवर्षः — Bhīṣma’s Arrow-Storm and Kṛṣṇa’s Impulse to Intervene

Devanagari script

अभिमन्युर्महेष्वासो द्रुपदश्च महाबल: । युयुधानो महेष्वासो युधामन्युश्न वीर्यवान्‌

Transliteration

abhimanyur maheṣvāso drupadaś ca mahābalaḥ | yuyudhāno maheṣvāso yudhāmanyuś ca vīryavān ||

Translation

अभिमन्यु महाधनुर्धर होता, द्रुपद महाबलवान होता; युयुधान (सात्यकी) महाधनुर्धर होता आणि युधामन्यु वीर्यवान होता।

Word by Word

• {'abhimanyuḥ': 'Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna (a foremost young warrior)', 'maheṣvāsaḥ': 'great archer

• one who wields a mighty bow', 'drupadaḥ': 'Drupada, king of Pāñcāla', 'mahābalaḥ': 'of great strength

• very powerful', 'yuyudhānaḥ': 'Yuyudhāna, i.e., Sātyaki (a leading Yādava warrior allied with the Pāṇḍavas)', 'yudhāmanyuḥ': 'Yudhāmanyu (a Pāñcāla warrior, ally of the Pāṇḍavas)', 'vīryavān': 'possessing valor

• heroic', 'ca': 'and', 'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Abhimanyu
• Drupada
• Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki)
• Yudhāmanyu

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the presence of eminent warriors and, by implication, the seriousness of kṣatriya-dharma: war involves accountable agents whose strength and choices carry moral weight, not merely anonymous violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, enumerating notable Pāṇḍava-aligned champions—Abhimanyu, Drupada, Sātyaki, and Yudhāmanyu—emphasizing their prowess as the battle situation is being described.